Illusion of Innocence
by ttharman
Summary: He thought she was innocent, she thought he hung the moon, together they are a force to be reckoned with. Can he be everything she wants and needs or will he break her heart along the way? Possessive/Tattward/Olderward Banner made by Soapy Mayhem. Written for jonesn353402. **COMPLETE**
1. Chapter 1

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

**This is dedicated to jonesn353402 she asked me for a tatt/older/possesiveward, I wrote this for her. She is awesome, check out her stories, so love you A.**

**/**IoI**/**IoI**/**

"The concert has been cancelled; something about snow."

"What?" I turned to look at Jake, "Are you fucking kidding me? I've been looking forward to seeing this band forever. This totally sucks! What are we going to do now?"

"Well, seeing that I've wanted you to get a piercing forever now, how about we go see Cullen at Slave to the Needle?" my best friend begs. "Come on, Bella. Don't chicken out on me now. It'll be fun, consider it an early birthday present from me to you."

"Fine, let's go before I change my mind," I say with a smile. He knows I've wanted a navel piercing forever, so I'm excited.

Jake's told me a lot about Cullen. Well, as much as one guy would tell you about another one. I know he's older, has been separated from Tanya, his girlfriend of ten years as of a couple years ago, and he has a six year old daughter. He's been tattooing and piercing since 'the dawn of time,' according to Jake. Cullen's only twenty-eight, so it's hard not to roll my eyes when Jake says this.

"All right, Belly-boo, let's get going."

Jake and I have been friends for years. We met when I was a freshman and he was a junior. My father, Charlie, was always working back then, and since he was a single dad, I spent a lot of time with Jake and his family. Charlie wasn't too keen on the idea of me hanging out with Jake alone because he's older, so even these days, we have to sneak around if we don't want to hang out without his family. We spend so much time together, that sometimes people think we're dating. That makes us laugh. Jake's my best friend, my partner in crime and nothing more. We don't think of each other in that regard. We went on one date, but it was like being out with my brother… so no, we're just friends. He is, however, quite protective, almost to the point of nauseating.

As we pull into the parking lot of Slave to the Needle, I have butterflies in my stomach. I'm not scared really, just excitedly nervous as Jake opens the door and we walk in. That's when I see him with those piercing dark green eyes, unruly shaggy hair, labret piercing and colorful tattoo sleeves on his arms. I damn near fall over on the spot. He has to be one of the most gorgeous guys I've ever seen.

I must have a dumbstruck look on my face, because Jake nudges me in the arm. "Bells? Bells?" he says, looking at me with that stupid smirk. Yeah, he's so getting paid back for this one.

"Bella, Cullen. Cullen, Bella," Jake says. I nod my head and shake his hand; but not a single word comes out of my mouth. I can't form a sentence to save my life.

"Bella, the pleasure's all mine," the god says to me in a voice that's like liquid gold.

I am _completely _fucked.

As Cullen walks me around, he shows me the different navel rings available and explains the sizes in gages and whatnot. I try to listen, honestly I do, but my mind keeps going back to his voice, as my eyes take in his ass. I hear a chuckle and immediately my eyes meet his, he laughs and I want to die from embarrassment.

"So Bella, have you decided on what you want other than my ass?" Cullen asks me while giving me a crooked smile that makes my panties wet.

"Umm, how about this purple one with the black bead? Jake told me it's better to do it a little bigger."

"Isn't bigger always better?" he says with a smirk. "Actually though, Jake would be correct. Speaking of which, I had no idea he had such a beautiful girlfriend. No wonder he keeps you hidden."

"I'm not Jake's girlfriend or anyone's girlfriend for that matter," I tell him. "Jake's my best friend, but nothing more. He's more like a brother to me."

Cullen holds his hands up like he's surrendering, that adorable smirk still plastered on his face. "Okay baby doll, I was just asking. I know if you were _my_ girlfriend, I'd keep you well hidden."

_Swoon_.

The looks, his words...and I'm gone. He's completely swept me off my feet and I just walked in. This isn't going to be good. I don't date. Well, I've never been a serial dater, and I haven't had many serious relationships either, at least not since Riley and I broke up. I've gone out on dates, just not anything serious. In the past, I was more of a love them, leave them kind of girl. I wasn't a slut, though. I'd only ever had sex with one person, but there is something about Cullen that I want. I can already feel how much I'm drawn to him.

**/**IoI**/**

As we walk into my house later that night, Jake looks at me and the look on his face is priceless. "Bella," he says, "he's not good for you, stay away from him. Cullen has issues."

"Okay, Jake, whatever you say," I nod, knowing that won't be my intention whatsoever. I'm hooked on Cullen. Cullen won't even know what hit him by the time I'm done, I'm sure of it.

Cullen may think I'm innocent, but I'm not. I've been around the block a time or two, and I know the signs. I felt him. I felt his stare, and as I looked up at him I saw the smoldering look in his eyes. He wants me, I know he does. His mouth may tell me no, but his body says quite the opposite. Now I just have to get his mind and body on the same wave length.

I know Jake says to stay away, but that's the thing, I can't...Cullen already owns me, even if he doesn't know it yet.

**/**IoI**/**

As I'm getting ready for school on Monday, my phone chirps with a new text message.

_How's the navel? Still hurt like a bitch? - C_

All I can do is smile; somehow he got my number and texted me. Me, Bella Swan. I knew my magic had worked. If he wasn't interested, then he never would have said anything to me, and I would've been just like any other customer that walked through the door.

_It's good, still hurts like a bitch though. Do u need to look at it again? - B_

I figure sending him that text may help my chances of seeing _my _godlike man again. Anything to see him again.

_Sure, come by later, the shop opens at 3. Going to bed now, we'll talk later. -C_

Sweet. I know this will be all I will think about when I am in class today...bitches be jealous. Sucky thing is, I can't even mention this to Jake, because he already warned me about him.

**/**IoI**/**

As I pull into the school parking lot, Lauren and Jessica came walking up, "Bitches, what's up?" I say smiling to my girls, "Sorry I didn't see you guys at all this weekend, though I do have some interesting things to share," I say, as lifting lift my shirt showing them my navel.

"I can't believe you even did that, WTF? What did your parents say?" Lauren babbles, her words tumbling into each other in lightning speed.

"They haven't seen it, nor are they going to. I have three months tops before we graduate, and then I'm outta there. I'm moving in with Jake, it's been decided. But that's not even the best part. Cullen, the guy who did it, is a god. He is the hottest thing I've ever seen in my life."

"Oh, Bella has a new boy toy," Jessica said smiling. She knows me so well, once I have my sights set on someone, it's all over.

"Well, he did tell me to come by the shop later so he can look at it. So that says something right there, right? If he wasn't interested in me, then he wouldn't have gone through the trouble of contacting me. I just need to play it cool and smart. I mean he's older and not some high school guy," I say smiling.

"Whatever, Bella. When have you ever had a problem getting any guy you wanted?" Lauren says to me, while checking her lip gloss as we walk to class.

"Well, I haven't and I have my sights set on him. But guys, please don't say anything to Jake. He gave me the 'I don't approve' warning already."

"Warning? Jake acts like he owns you sometimes, Bella. Does he not realize you guys aren't dating, nor will you ever?" Jessica pipes in as we walk into homeroom.

I shrug. Jake is protective of me. I know that he never wants me to get hurt.

**/**IoI**/**

School drags on for what seems like forever. When the last bell rings I can't get out of the parking lot fast enough.

"Where's the fire, Swan?" Mike Newton yells as I'm am practically running to my car. I ignore him; he's an ass anyway. I'm pretty sure he has a crush on me, but Jessica likes him, so yeah... it's not going to happen.

As I walk into Slave to the Needle, I realize there's no one up front, so I walk to the back where Cullen's booth is, thinking maybe he's back there. Nope, nada. But then I hear voices so I know there's someone here, somewhere.

Just as I turn to look, in walks Cullen with the most beautiful girl. She has dark hair, dark eyes and he has his arm around her. Well, shit, I guess I completely read the signs wrong and he really is with someone. Fuck, this sucks. I really felt like we connected this past weekend. I guess he must have too, because the moment he sees me he smiles, walks over, and kisses me on the cheek. The girl with him doesn't look too happy and purses her lips together in disapproval.

"Bella, I'm so glad you could make it. I was hoping to see you today. Hey, I want you to meet someone. Emily this is Bella, Bella this is Emily," he says, smirking at the both of us as we stare at one another. It's almost comical, like waiting to see who is going to mark him as their territory first.

Since I just met him, I don't feel comfortable around him, let alone anyone else. Emily doesn't waste any time however. She walks up to shake my hand and says, "the girlfriend."

"Ex girlfriend." Cullen's quick to say, smiling at me after he says it.

Well that explains why she's all territorial. I just want to hang out with him a bit. Feeling uncomfortable, I explain that I want him to look at my navel and then I'll be on my way.

I figure I can hang out another day, preferably one when she isn't there.

As he walks me to the door, he turns and says, "I'm so sorry about Emily, she isn't taking the breakup well, and I just can't say no to her. Forgive me?"

Forgive him? As he looks at me with those green eyes, I think I could forgive him for just about anything he would ever ask of me.

"Sure, maybe I can stop by another day and we can chat or something?"

"Excellent. See you soon, beautiful."

I know for certain, Cullen's going to be a bad habit.

**/**IoI**/**IoI**/**

My wonderful Beta is Sunsetwing, she makes sure my commas and tenses are right. I tend to butcher both and she still loves me regardless. Eternally Edward's Girl is my awesome pre-reader, she kicks major ass and I love her immensely.

Thank you for taking time to read and review. I plan on posting once a week on Wednesday's.

Xoxo

T


	2. Chapter 2

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

**Just to explain in case you missed it Tanya is Edward's baby's Momma, Emily is just the ex.**

~~IoI~~IoI~~

Driving home, I take in the scenery. I love living in Portland. Everything is so green and beautiful. Green, that's my new favorite color for sure. Those eyes,_ his eyes, _they're going to be the death of me. Pulling into the garage, I see all the lights in the house are on. Great, that means I have to deal with my parents. Something I could so do without for the evening.

Rushing in, I'm hoping to miss them, so we don't have to do that whole awkward talking thing.

"Bella, is that you?" Sue yells from the kitchen.

"Yeah, sorry I was over at Lauren's studying," I say to my step-mother, as I walk into the kitchen. She's really great, but sometimes I feel as though her and my dad treat me like a kid. My mom passed away years ago and my dad and Sue married last year. I'd been taking care of myself just fine before she came along, and now they want to be this perfect little family. I just can't do it, hence the reason why I'm moving in with Jake after graduation.

"Well, your dinner's in the microwave. I saved you some before the boys ate it all."

"Thanks, I'm starving. I'll eat and clean this up, and then I'm heading to bed. Thanks again, Sue."

"No problem. Can you let your Dad know you're home? You know how he worries."

"Sure."

My dad, Charlie Swan, was a big shot lawyer in town. I truly love my dad, just not always his sense of timing. Though he is good to me and gives me just about everything a girl could want, he is now strict with my freedom. Since he has re-married, I feel as though I am on lock down, so I tend to sneak around a lot.

When my dad started dating Sue, I spent almost all of my time with Jake. My dad never cared as long as I went to school and got good grades. Once they were married, they wanted that happy family unit, and asked that I stopped hanging out with him. As far as they knew I had stopped. Now when I spend time with Jake, I tell them I'm going out with other people. Female people.

Now with Cullen, it's different. I want to get to know him, but I'm not sure how I will hide it from Jake as easily as I hide things from my dad.

~IoI~

As I stop by _Starbucks _the next morning to get my coffee, I look over and see Cullen and Emily leaving the shop. I figure they must still be together, even though he has said they aren't. Maybe this is what Jake was talking about when he told me to stay away. Just as I am pondering that, my phone chirps with an incoming text.

_Are you at school yet? - C_

I'm stunned. Obviously he doesn't see me, because I'm in line and just placed my order, so I wonder what's going on.

_No, getting coffee? Ur up early? - B_

_Yeah, about to go to bed now, just finished some stuff at the shop...see u later? -C_

Well, well, I'm surely not going to tell him I see him with Emily, I want to play this cool. I'm interested, but at the same time, I don't want to show my hand just yet.

_Actually I'm busy later...rain check? -B_

_Sure -C_

Wow, and now we're down to one word answers, guess someone gets pissy when they are not getting all the attention. Oh well, I don't bow down to anyone or give them my all, it's just who I am these days. This way, I won't get hurt as much.

As I pull into the school, I see Jake parked off to the side. Now this is unusual, Jake never comes to the school for _anything_.

"B, can you tell me why Cullen's blowing up my phone about you? He wants to know what your plans are today and why they don't include him?" Jake looks pissed having to be the messenger here, and I have the right frame of mind to look down. I don't care to piss my best friend off this early in the morning.

"He asked what I was doing today and I told him I had plans, why? What difference does it make what I do? You, Jacob Black, are not my keeper, and neither is he, does he not understand that?" I could tell he was getting more pissed by the moment.

"That's just it B, I'm _not_ your keeper, nor do I want to be the middle man. He _may _think he is your keeper, but anyway I told you to stay away from him. He's bad news, can't you just listen to me for once… please?"

"Jake, I'm going to be late for class. I gotta go, catch you later."

I'm ignoring him, and not even going to dignify his question with an answer. I love Jake, but no one is going to tell me who I can and can't see.

~IoI~

My whole day was a blur of classes and friends. I kept thinking about Jake and what he said, and then I would think about Cullen and get all mushy inside.

I hate fighting with Jake. He's my best friend, but I feel a connection with Cullen and I know I have to tread lightly. Since I'm feeling bad, I decide to text Jake and then will go see Cullen later. I need to take a deep breath and wrap my head around all of this.

_Hey - sorry about this morning, u know how I am in the morning. - B_

_Yeah, me too. I love ya & hate fighting with u. See u later? - J_

_Of course, at Cullen's? - B_

_Yes. - J_

That word… that one word made it okay…_ yes_.

~IoI~

I call my parents quickly to let them know I'll be late tonight. I know they won't care; it's just respectful to let them know. Afterwards, I hit the library. I have to get my homework done and I know if I go to Slave right away, I will never finish it later. Regardless of who it is that I want to be around, I refuse to let my grades suffer.

Just as I am finishing, I get a text. When I see who it is, I smile.

_So r u coming or what? - C_

_Yes, leaving the library now - B_

_Cool - C_

God, he's so hard to read. He introduces me to his ex-girlfriend, whom he must still have something going on with, and then tells me to come see him, and when I blow him off, he sends my best friend to come get me.

Men… I don't understand them.

Whatever. Since he's asked again I'll go see him, but if he blows me off this time, I'm done. I don't need him; regardless of how hot he is.

As I pull into Slave, I see Emily once again… great, and as soon as she sees me, she scowls. I want to scream _'Look bitch he invited me, get over it already,'_though I don't. I simply smile, say hi, and walk in like I own the place.

As soon as Cullen sees me, he has the biggest grin on his face. Jake scowls at me in the background. I smile at them both, like I haven't smiled at anyone in a while. I realize in that moment, I want to get to know him better in more ways than one.

As I walk up to the guys, Jake hugs me and kisses my forehead. I see this doesn't go over well with Cullen. My internal girly girl cheers. It's good for him to be a little jealous. I've had to deal with his ex… twice now.

"Bella, so good to see you again," Cullen says, as he kisses my cheek. Jake frowns at this and I blush.

"You too, Cullen, though I just saw you yesterday, you know." I smirk as I look at Jake who's now shaking his head.

"Edward, call me Edward," he whispers into my ear. His warm breath is blowing on my neck, and my arms prickle with goose bumps.

"Okay," I whisper back, looking deep into the green eyes that are sparkling back at me.

Jake stands there watching, not saying a word. Now, I love my best friend, but I have a feeling we are about to clash over Edward. We have never fought about anything, so I was hoping we wouldn't over this. I love Jake, and I simply can't live without him.

As Edward walks to the back of the shop, I grab Jake by the arm, "Hey, are we okay? I don't want things to be weird between us, okay?"

"B, we're fine. Am I happy that you both seem engrossed with one another? No, absolutely not. But B, I love you, and I will always support you. Regardless of who you're are interested in or dating, I'll always be here for you babe, always," he says to me as he pulls me into a huge hug.

"Okay, because if you are really against it, I won't pursue him."

"That's bull shit and we both know it. Now come on before he accuses me of trying to steal you."

~~IoI~~IoI~~

Thanks to my Beta's and pre-readers, and many, many thanks to all of you who have reviewed, alerted and favorited my story. My 'Jake' loves this and is already begging for more, so here you go M, chapter two just for you.

xoxo

T


	3. Chapter 3

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

Early update just because you guys are amazing! 3

~~IoI~~

As the weeks pass, I spend more and more time with Edward. I realize I'm falling for him and falling hard. He's still very subtle in his touches and kisses. He only ever kisses me on my forehead, never on my lips. He hugs me every time he sees me and seems to always want to touch me, just not in the way I want him to.

I now go to the shop after school to study and to do my homework, instead of at the library. I enjoy being around him even though he's quite moody at times. His daughter, Emma is sometimes there. She's adorable and we get along well. I don't think her mom, Tanya is too excited about that. She's always frowning when she sees me and makes some not so subtle comments about the '_jailbait_' when talking to Edward. He rolls his eyes every time. I may be young, but I'm legal. Whatever...

I really want things to progress past these simple kisses and touches, but I'm not sure how Edward feels about this, and at this point, I am unsure if I should make the first move. I mean, we get along well and we have chemistry, but he's still an enigma to me and he almost never talks about his past. I do know that he and Tanya got together when they were sixteen and had Emma when they were twenty-two. Her parents hated him and felt their precious daughter could do better. They threatened to disinherit her if she married him, so that was the main reason they never legally tied the knot.

He doesn't talk about his childhood or his parents. The way he puts it, the guys at the shop and their girlfriends are the closest thing to a family he has. The fact that he keeps so much hidden intrigues me and makes me want to know more about him.

After thinking long and hard about what I want, I decide I _do_ want more from Edward than the subtle kisses and touches. Unfortunately, I think I'm going to have to resort to playing dirty to get what I want and to make sure he also wants more. So, I strategically plan this out to work to my benefit.

Guys ask me out all the time and I'm always turning them down. Well, I may just have to say yes and see if that lights a fire under his ass.

My ex, Riley has been calling again as of recently. We broke up about six months ago, after he cheated on me with some girl from another school. He didn't view it as 'cheating' but to me, if you are with someone, and kissing someone else, you are cheating.

As much as I want to be only with Edward, I want to see if that feeling is mutual, so we can go forward.

I decide the only way to get my answer, is to mention to Edward I am thinking about getting back together with Riley.

Edward nearly hit the roof as he starts yelling at me. "What the fuck, B? He makes out with some skanky bitch and you just take him back? What does that say about you? I sure don't know, but I don't like it," Edward says to me, sneering.

Wow, what the fuck? Why is he acting like this all of a sudden? We are not officially dating, nor has he ever given me any indication that we were more than friends, and now this?

"Well, Edward, I don't remember asking your opinion on my love life. We're not dating or anything, so you really don't get a say, now do you?" I huff as I collect my books, ready to get out of there. I don't need this shit and this was not the reaction I expected from him. Plus, if I wanted to deal with bullshit, I have Riley who could play that part just fine.

"B, wait up, I'm sorry. That was out of place for me to say that, and it's none of my business. I'm sorry," he says as he takes me by the arm and pulls me into his. I melt; this is what I've been waiting for. This was the reaction I wanted; for him to take some sort of tangible notice of me.

"It's okay, really. Riley and I have a past, one that I can't just forget. He asked if we could hang out this weekend and I told him yes. It's not like I have any other plans. Jake's going out with Emily."

At this Edward huffed. He still wasn't too happy that Jake was seeing his ex, but oh well. I still didn't get the whole Emily and Edward connection. They broke up, and she was the one having issues moving on, so why should it matter who she goes out with? You would think he would be happy she was moving on.

"Well actually, I was going to see if you wanted to hang out after work on Friday?"

"Really, Edward? You close the shop at midnight and you know my parents would frown upon that. Besides, I already told Riley I would go out. We're going to a hockey game or something. This will be good for him and me," I say knowing this would piss him off.

And it worked…

"Fine, B, go out with your fucking high school boyfriend, just don't come crawling to me when he fucks someone behind your back again."

I feel the blood rush to my face and chest. I'm embarrassed and pissed, and my eyes sting with tears. I have to get out of here before I let on how much he affects me. He can't know.

As I walk out I can hear him calling my name, but I never look back. Fuck him! Fuck him if he thinks he can talk to me that way or act like that. I don't belong to him. Hell, I don't belong to anyone. I'm my own person.

This is what I tell myself as I cry myself to sleep. Edward both texts and calls me, but I ignore him; which probably pisses him off more.

I'm not going to let him treat me like shit. I'm not some hooker off the street he can throw around as he pleases. I have feelings and he needs to treat me with some respect, even if we remain only friends.

These are my last thoughts as I fall asleep.

In the morning, everything looks and feels better in my heart, until I get to school; because, there in the parking lot, is a pissed off Edward.

"Oh shit…"

~~IoI~~/~~IoI~~

Thanks to my Beta's and pre-readers, and many, many thanks to all of you who have reviewed, alerted and favorited my story.

A couple of rec's that own me at the moment.

That s What Little Girls Are Made Of by krazi4TwiSaga  www . fanfiction s/8443289/1 /That-s-What-Little-Girls-Are-Made-Of

Boundaries Undefined by Mylisssa  www . fanfiction s/8311620/1/Boundaries-Undefined

Life Support by Shadowed by Passion  www . fanfiction s/8081348/1/

xoxo

T


	4. Chapter 4

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**  
**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

For all of the girls that begged in the Olderward group on Facebook, here you go.

~~IoI~~

"Oh shit..."

"Oh shit is right, Bella. What the fuck? Why didn't you answer me last night?" he asks angrily.

"Look, I'm not your girlfriend, nor are we dating. In fact, we don't have any sort of relationship beyond friendship. I don't appreciate you acting like you own me," I say heatedly to him, as he stalks toward me.

"That's the thing, B, I _do_ own you. Every inch of you craves me and you can't deny it, can you?" he whispers huskily in my ear.

He's right, he does own me. I want him like I've never wanted anyone before, but at the same time, I'm not going to allow him to treat me like shit and then demand my time.

"Edward, I have to get to class." I know if I address what he just said, I would give in to him.

Right then, I notice Riley pulling into the parking lot. The last thing I need is some testosterone fueled fight in the school parking lot. Charlie would go ape shit over Edward alone, let alone any fighting that may happen. I need to get Edward out of here!

"Bella!" Riley yells from across the parking lot.

Fuck, too late, here comes Riley. Edward grips my arm so tight I'm positive I'm going to have a bruise from his hold.

"Edward, please don't cause a scene. I'm begging you. I can't deal with that this morning. I'll be by the shop this afternoon, I promise. We can talk about whatever you want, okay? Just let it go for now. Please!" I plead with him, tears stinging my eyes.

"Hey, Ry," I mumble, hoping Edward won't cause a scene. I worry that since he had yet to answer me, this was about to get bad.

Edward takes a step closer and places his mouth next to my ear. I felt his breath against my neck. "Fine, but this isn't over," he whispers. "I don't want you going out with that douche either, understand?"

I nod. No matter, I had to agree with him in the moment. I know if I spoke up to disagree, Edward was sure to make a scene. Not like I could speak up anyways. The pain from Edward's grip on my arm was making me want to cry in pain. Riley stood there looking between Edward and me completely dumbstruck. Thank God, he doesn't comment on my exchange with Edward.

"B, we gotta get to class. Come on, or else we're going to be late." Riley says to me while he continues sizing up Edward. Great, this is _not_ what I need; my ex going to battle over me for something he knows nothing about.

"Sounds good. Edward, I'll see you later, okay? Make sure you have time for me, and we can talk." I smile, while looking at him with my eyes pleading to let it go and that it'll be okay. Luckily for me, he takes the hint and nods.

On our way to first period my phone chirps with a text. I know who it is before I even look.

_I forgot to tell you, you look hot when you are mad...later - E_

Nice.

~IoI~

"So, B, who was that? A new boyfriend or something?" Riley asks casually.

"Who? Edward? No, not at all, just a friend," I tell him. I don't need Riley in my business. With my luck he'll say something to his mom in passing and she'll tell Sue who will in turn tell Charlie.

"Well, he looked as though he wanted to devour you and kick my ass all at the same time."

I roll my eyes at him. "Ry, you think that about every guy who comes within a ten-foot radius of me. If I recall, you were the one with your lips stuck to some skank; so let's not get into this."

I turn and walk into my class, taking my seat between Lauren and Jessica. I know they saw what went on in the parking lot, but thankfully, they have the decency to wait to ask. Well, at least until Riley isn't around; when we can really talk.

As soon as class is over, they are on me about Edward.

"So, the godlike man outside this morning who looked pissed as hell, I'm assuming is Edward?" Jessica asks, smiling.

"Yep, the one and only."

"So, what did you do that he looked so pissed about, B?" Lauren asked.

"Well, he made me mad last night, so I left. Not only that, but I didn't answer his calls or text messages; so he showed up here this morning," I say sheepishly. "I guess thinking about it; it was kind of childish, huh?"

"Well," Lauren says, "depends on how you look at it. He _did_ come here to see you and talk to you because you wouldn't talk to him, so it's kinda romantic in a way."

"Yeah, I guess. I'm going to see him after school. That was the only way I could get him to not kill Riley. He's pissed because I'm going out with Riley on Friday night," I tell them, waiting for the shock to set in. I hadn't really talked to Riley since he cheated on me with that slut, Irina, so this is new territory.

"Riley? Date? Really, B, do you think that's a good idea?" Jess voices to me smirking and rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm with Jess on this one, B," Lauren says.

"Well, I'm trying to get the hint across to Edward to act, to do something, anything. I figured if he was interested, it would come out if someone else asked me out, even if it was brought out in jealousy. And it's not that I don't care for Riley, I do. I mean, we were together for almost two years. I lost my v card to him and I'll always love him, but he's not Edward. And Edward's who I really want to be with, I just want him to feel the same way," I say to both of them.

"I know, B, I know, but I just think you can do better than Riley. Obviously Edward does too, so maybe he _is_ interested? I mean you're eighteen, so it's not like you're underage or anything," Lauren says with a smirk.

"Girl, let me tell you what he said. When Riley started walking toward us, Edward told me he owned me… owned me! Who says that? He's never shown any interest in me until today. He got pissed when Emily went out with Jake, yet he _owns_ me. And I'm sorry, but if he thinks we're going to be together, she will not be coming around like she is now. They have the strangest relationship...like they're apart, yet still together."

I must have a look of disgust on my face because Jess pipes up, "Well, you need to talk to him. Don't put everything out there, but see what he has to say."

"Yeah, okay, I gotta get to class. See you guys later," I tell them both as I head to my next class. I swear my head is in a fog the rest of the day and by the time school is done, I'm antsy with excitement to see Edward.

~IoI~

Pulling into the shop, I notice Emily's car right off the bat… fucking great. I want to talk to him and she's here… again. This is bull shit and I'm not putting up with it, so I put the car in reverse to leave, when I see Edward coming out with Emily.

And of course, now I can't leave since he spotted me, even though I want to because she's there.

Of course she's pissed once she sees me and again when he smiles at me. I don't get it. She's going out with Jake. If she and Edward aren't dating anymore, why is she always here and why does she care about me being there?

As I park the car to get out, I do notice he kisses her on the forehead and says goodbye. It irritates me to no end. That's my kiss, not hers!

"B, how was your day?" He asks as he walks over to where I stood by my car.

"Good, Edward. Well, other than some crazy guy showing up at school today making a scene, it was all good. How was yours?"

"Yeah, whatever, come on. Jasper's going to watch the shop for me so we can talk." he says as he walks us over to his car and opens the door. I love his car. This is the first time I'll be alone with him since we met, and it's in his Mustang. I may die right here and now.

Driving along, he looks at me, "Urban Grind okay with you? I need caffeine and some food, is that good?"

"Sure, sounds good."

"Bella," he says. As I look over at him I see him still staring at me. "I'm sorry I was such an ass this morning, truly I am. Please don't be mad."

"It's all good, Edward. We can talk when we get there," I say looking straight ahead. From his body language, I have no idea whether to be excited or scared.

~IoI~

Walking in, we place our orders and find a place to sit. It's pretty quiet this time of the day, so the chances that someone I know seeing me with Edward are slim. I don't need me being with him getting back to my parents. After graduation I won't care, but right now, no.

"Bella, I'm truly sorry for being an ass this morning. I know I went all caveman on you and you're right, I have no say so in who you date or hang out with. We're not even dating. I don't know why I acted like that."

"Edward, look, I know we don't have a defined relationship. I respect that, I get it. But you can't go off every time you get upset with me. I hear you talking and I hear the things you're saying, but then I see you with Emily; I see you kissing and embracing her. See where I'm coming from? I can't keep doing this with you. We need some rules or lines in this relationship, if that's what it's going to be. You can't tell me I can't go out with Riley, but then be hanging all over her," I say to him, as I feel the tears welling up in my eyes.

"Bella, baby, don't cry," he says as he pulls me into his arms, "I want to be with you. The thought of you being with anyone else kills me inside. I haven't dated in forever, even with Emily, we didn't really _date_, we just hung out. With you though, it's different. I want that with you. I just don't know how to do it. Please don't cry, sweetheart, please."

I'm a blubbering mess by this point. This is what I want, but how messed up is it that it takes me saying I am going out with Riley for him to get it?

"Me too, Edward, me too. We just need to set some ground rules. I mean, you really can't come to the school whenever you want, you know."

"I know. I was just so pissed that you were ignoring me. I promise, it won't happen again."

~~IoI~~

Thanks again to my Beta's and pre-reader, and many, many thanks to all of you who have reviewed, alerted and favorited my story.

And a rec that owns me at the moment, I love it.

Drenched by CullensTwiMistress http(:)/www.fanfiction.net/s/8381569/1/Drenched

xx-T


	5. Chapter 5

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...  
The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.  
**

~~IoI~~

The days and weeks following our talk find us in a good place. I now know that Edward can be quite possessive; but it's cool as long as long he isn't acting like an ass about it. I know that he's into me and I kind of find his possessiveness hot. Clearly, he knows I'm all about him. I feel drawn to him in ways I can't even understand. I can't seem to keep my hands or lips off him, thanks to my raging hormones and all of that.

Not like Edward is complaining.

Then today, I remind him that I am going out with Riley tomorrow night, since the original 'date' was canceled. I explain to him, again, that my parents already knew about it and they were excited we were going on said 'date.'

Yeah, reminding him went over like a ton of bricks. He was pissed. So here I am, in the shop trying to talk him off the ledge, yet again.

I'm sitting in Edward's lap kissing him, trying to explain that nothing will happen with Riley and that if we want to keep seeing each other, I have to appease my parents. Jake isn't an excuse to get me out of the house, in fact, the closer Edward and me get, the more Jake seems to distance himself from me.

Jake's no longer seeing Emily; something about her not wanting to be in a relationship. I don't know. All I do know is it's weird between us now.

"Edward, please understand that if I don't go out with Riley on Friday, I won't be able to leave the house. Besides, I'm going to be with Jessica, Lauren, and Royce and you know they won't let anything happen. You have to work, remember? This is the reason you gave Royce the night off, so he could go with Lauren. I seriously doubt Riley will try anything, and if he does_ I'll_ punch him, okay?"

"Fine, but I'm _not_ happy with this, I just want you to know. You're mine and I don't care to share you with anyone," he snaps.

"Hey, I'm spending the night with Jessica after the game, so we can come back here and she can see Jasper…and I can see you. Okay? This is the best I can do right now. Edward, you know how Charlie is; he thinks Riley walks on water. My parents don't know what he did or why we broke up, and I won't tell them, so don't even go there. It's done and over. We're friends, and we're going to a hockey game as friends, with friends. End of discussion."

"Fine. But know, I don't like it," he said shaking his head.

This is how my afternoon has gone. He's moody and pissy because I have plans. My plans were made before he all but demanded I be with him. Granted, those original plans were why he demanded I be with him.

Thank God, Lauren and Jessica come to the shop with me almost every day and have been for the past month. After the first time they came with, they never wanted to leave.

Both Jessica and Lauren took a complete interest in Edward's friends and business partner's after the first time they laid eyes on the guys. Jasper and Royce took an instant liking to Lauren and Jess as well, so this has made my life easier. I can hang out with them and if they happen to be at Slave to the Needle, which is all the time, then so am I.

There's not much more I can do to ease Edward's mind about my plans for the following evening, so I try to change the subject. I try to figure out what we can do on Saturday. Given our age difference and the fact that Edward works most weekends, it doesn't leave us much time together.

"So, my Saturday's free since Sue and Charlie know I'm spending Saturday night with Lauren. Maybe we can hang out? Close shop early, get some dinner, and maybe make out?" I said in my sweetest voice. This must have got his attention, because he suddenly seemed okay about my 'date' with Riley.

"That would be sweet, B. You, me, and some Chinese at my place…then, the couch for some loving," he says, as he waggles his eyebrows.

"Ummm, Edward? There may be some lovin', but just to be clear, there will be no sex involved, got it? I just don't want you to get your hopes up. It's not going to happen, dude. Sorry if that bursts your bubble," I tell him, trying to be as honest as possible.

I have only had sex with one person, Riley, and it took us over a year to get to that point. I don't want to jump into that kind of relationship with Edward yet. I just hope he understands and respects that about me.

"Bella, I would never want you to do anything you're not comfortable with, nor will I ever force you to do anything." He paused for a moment as if to think about what else he was going to say. "Besides, I think it's better this way. I'm not a relationship kind of guy, so this way there is no gray area, right?"

"Right," I say dragging the word out, as my mind is thinking _what? _I _thought_ we were together now in a relationship, but just as I'm about to ask him what he means by his comment, Jess comes bounding through the door.

"Bella, we gotta go or we're going to be late. Cullen, hands off, we seriously gotta run," she exclaimed.

As I kiss Edward goodbye, I mumble, "Talk later, okay?" He nods at me as he turns back to his paperwork. Wow, I'm so glad I mean _that_ much to him that he can't even walk me out or give me a proper goodbye. I shake those thoughts from my head and put my mind back on the fact that he staked his claim on me already. He wants me. He must, right? Otherwise, after our first fight, he wouldn't have shown up at school demanding I talk to him, right?

As we are walking out, I see Emily pull up… perfect. I swear I feel my stomach flip and not in a good way. Especially when she gives me a smug smile as she walks into the shop.

"Bitch," I mutter under my breath, though I know Jessica caught it, she never misses a thing.

"Emily?"

"Of course. Why can't she get it through her brain that he's with me? Why is she always around? Why doesn't he tell her to go the fuck away?" I whine.

"Relax, B. You're the one he's spending all his time with, right? You're the one he's going to be with on Saturday night," Jessica tells me, as she nods in confirmation.

"I know, she just makes me feel young and unworthy of his time. I'm sure they've had sex, too. When I told him I wasn't ready for that, he told me he wouldn't force me to do anything I wasn't comfortable with, nor was he relationship material. What does that mean? Is he not my boyfriend? Are we not dating? I thought we _were_ in a relationship! Argh!" I say irritatedly.

"Don't worry, B. It'll be okay."

If only it was that simple, if only.

I go to bed that night, after calling and texting Edward, and never hearing back from him. Of course, my mind goes into overdrive right away at the thought of him and Emily together. My stomach churns as the tears flow down my face.

I guess I may not be what he wants after all. Thank God I still have Riley...

~~IoI~~

Thanks again to my Beta's and pre-reader, and many, many thanks to all of you who have reviewed, alerted and favorited my story.

Your response to this story has blown me away, I'm quite humbled by the reception it has received.

xoxo,

T


	6. Chapter 6

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

Riley.

What the fuck was I thinking when I agreed to go out with him tonight? Friends or not, this isn't where I want to be or who I want to be with. I want Edward; plain and simple. Now that douche is downstairs schmoozing my Dad.

Fuck my life.

Well, here goes nothing. Thank God Lauren and Jess are meeting us there. There is no way I could handle a night alone with Riley. I haven't heard from Edward at all today, though I texted him a few times and called him once. Him not answering does nothing for my ego, nor my imagination, since Emily was walking into the shop as I was leaving last night. Now he seems MIA...God this sucks.

"Bella!" Sue yells from the base of the stairs, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Coming, Sue. I'll be right down," I answer quickly, so she won't check on me.

I quickly send Edward a text.

_Hey - about to leave for the night, r we still on for tmrw night? - B_

I turn my phone to vibrate, as I walk downstairs toward my fate for the night. At least I get to spend time with my girls; the only upside of the evening. Plus, I'm sure if I don't hear from Edward, Royce will be keeping him up to speed on my activities. I thought about that fact for a few minutes; if that's what could happen, then maybe I should give him something good to tell Edward about.

Smiling as I walk into the living room, I give Riley a hug. I love the shocked look on his face, but he goes with it. He's probably thinking he just got me back and all was forgiven. Yeah, I don't think so, asshole.

"Bella, you look great. Are you ready? I want to make sure we get a good parking spot," Riley says sounding exasperated. It makes me wonder what Charlie said to him. Even though Charlie likes him, I know he loves to give him shit. It takes everything I have not to chuckle.

"Yep, I'm all ready and my bags are by the door to take to Jess'. Remember daddy, that's where I'm going tonight, and tomorrow I'm staying at Lauren's. I'll be home Sunday, okay?" I say so sickeningly sweet, I'm surprised I don't gag.

"Isabella, I don't know if that's such a good idea. Sue and I haven't seen you all week. Maybe you should come home after the game," my father says to me.

It takes everything I have not to lose my shit with him and keep my emotions in check; not only in front of my father, but in front of Riley as well.

"Daddy, I promised Jess I would be there! We've already made plans to go to the mall and the spa for a day of beauty," I tell him sweetly, as the lie rolls off my tongue. I mentally make a note to get pedicures tomorrow.

"Okay, but next weekend belongs to us. You know - family time. We haven't seen much of you lately and you'll be graduating soon and leaving. We miss you."

"Fine, I promise," I say as I kiss him on the cheek, "Ry, you ready?"

"Bye, Mr. Swan. I'll see you later. Maybe we can do golf or something soon?" Riley says to my Dad, totally kissing ass.

As we walk outside, I turn to Riley smirking and say, "Kiss ass much? I mean, you can't even stand to be around him! Why do you pretend so much? Seriously, Ry, I just don't get it?"

"Whatever, Bella, we both know you're only using me to get out of the house for the night, so save your self-righteous shit _right now,_ okay?"

"Fine." He's right and we both know it. There's no reason to deny it to let him think we are more than friends.

~IoI~

"There's Lauren over there," I say as we get out of the car.

I walk toward her, pulling Riley behind me when I notice that Royce sees me holding Riley's hand. Royce sure doesn't look happy either

Yeah, this is sure going to go over well...fuck Edward. I haven't heard from him in twenty-four hours. Does he think I'm at his beck and call? Well, I am not and he needs to know that. This will be the perfect time to get that message across.

"Hey guys, where's Jess?" I ask as we walk up, nodding at Royce, as he looks at Riley. I realize introductions should be made. "Royce, Riley, Riley, Royce," I say as the guys nod toward one another. Royce is trying to be all badass and Riley is oblivious.

Part of me feels like I should feel bad for thinking horrible thoughts about Riley, as I'm holding his hand while on a 'date.' At the moment though, I just can't though, because I'm pissed at Edward, and simply using Riley to get back at him. Mature? Not so much, but I don't care right at this moment.

"Bella! Lauren!" Jess yells across the parking lot, as she walks toward us. Thank God she's here, I'm ready to go watch hockey. Our team will probably make the finals, so this is exciting for our school.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. Jasper was showing me some new jewelry that came in the other day," Jess panted, trying to catch her breath.

I'm jealous, plain and simple. I want to be able to hang out with Edward like that, and not have a care in the world. Even though I'm pissed at him, I still want to be with him. So, this may prove harder than I thought; with Jess talking about Jasper and Royce with Lauren, and me not here with the one I want.

Oh well, I might as well make the best of being with Riley, since that is the only choice I have.

~IoI~

We take our seats; Riley is on my left, the girls to my right, and Royce all the way at the end. I notice he already has his phone out texting, while trying to be discreet. A few minutes later I feel my phone vibrate… great. I already know it's Edward.

_Holding hands with the DB huh? WTF? - E_

I'm not sure if I want to ignore him or answer him. I'm still pissed that he hasn't answered any of my texts from yesterday, but as soon as he knew I was holding hands with Riley, he sends me a text. Yeah, fuck him. I decide I'm going to make him sweat it out. Instead of replying back, I lean forward and smirk at Royce. Yeah, let them both stew on that for awhile.

Halfway into the first period, my phone vibrates again. I know it's Edward again and I'm still not ready to answer him. In fact, I don't even look at my phone this time. I'm too preoccupied on the game to really care what Edward has to say right now. Our team is now kicking ass and we are tied.

Our team has the puck and they are racing down the ice. I don't need any distraction of Edward at that moment. Just as I think this, my phone vibrates yet again. I sigh and reach for my phone as the other team gets the puck.

My fingers are about to grasp my phone when Riley leans over and whispers in my ear, "So, are you really spending the night with Jessica? Or are you planning on staying somewhere else?"

"I'm really staying with Jessica, Riley. Just like I told Charlie," I muttered.

"Just wondering, because isn't she dating that tattoo guy? What's his name? Jones? Jazzercise? Or something like that?"

"Jasper. His name is Jasper, and yes, she's dating him. Him, Royce, and Edward are partners. They own Slave to the Needle, why?" I question.

"Just wondering. I thought maybe you were dating that Edward guy or something? He looked pretty pissed the first day I met him when he came up to the school."

"Nope, we're not dating. We've hung out a few times, but that's all," I quip, hoping Riley won't ask any more questions that I don't want to answer.

"Okay, whatever you say."

"Ry, if I was dating him, do you think I'd here with you right now? Do you honestly think he'd be cool with his girlfriend being out with someone else?" I snap.

"Yeah, I guess you gotta point there, B. Didn't think about it that way, sorry. Don't get your panties in a wad," he smirks.

"Yeah, oka-" but my words are cut off by the crowd cheering. We got the puck back and were about to score. "YES! Score!" I jump up and scream as our team takes the lead at the end of the first period.

Once the excitement of that last goal settles down, I decide I need to take a break.

"I'm gonna hit the bathroom and grab something to drink, anyone want anything?" I ask as I move toward the aisle to walk up the stairs.

"Na, we're good," Royce tells me all smug.

_Bastard,_ I mouth to him which makes him laugh.

I check my phone as I get to the top of the stairs. I had felt it vibrate a few times while I was talking with Riley.

Four missed calls and five text messages. Damn Cullen. He's a prick if he thinks I'm doing this on his terms. I suppose I should at least text him back, before he sends the cavalry my way.

_Hey - I thought I would be like you and get back to you when it's convenient for me. Have fun with Emily? - B_

Yeah, I really didn't want to know that answer, but I thought I would give him a dose of his own medicine. It would piss him off for sure.

_WTF B? - E_

Yeah, he's pissed. Mission accomplished.

Good.

He should be mad. I'm mad too.

_Look, I'm busy. Can we talk later? - B_

I knew that text would send him over the edge, but I was close to my edge. I put my phone back in my purse, not wanting to continue this with him, and went to the bathroom. I'm glad no one came with me, because I now have tears in my eyes and whether Edward knows it or not, he's hurt me bad. I didn't want to get close to anyone for this very reason, yet I've gotten close to Edward. I don't want to be hurt; I just want to be loved. That doesn't seem too much to ask. And yet with Edward, it's exactly that.

As I take my seat after I return from the bathroom, I look over at Royce. He no longer has that smug look on his face. His eye catches mine and he mouths '_sorry_.'

_Yeah, me too, me too._

The rest of the game goes by fast and surprisingly quiet. Edward doesn't call or send anymore texts. Part of me is sad about that, yet the other part of me is relieved. Jessica and Lauren both pick up on my mood, but I try to brush it off as nothing, while really, on the inside I'm dying. They know me well enough to know better, but with Riley sitting next to me, I have no desire for him to know anything. I have my best poker face on.

As the game comes to an end, Grant beats David Douglas. We're happy for our win and one step closer to playoffs. Riley is all smiles of course. He has quite a few friends that play on the team, so he knows they're going to party later. I have no desire to go to the after party. I'm ready to go to Jessica's and cry myself to sleep.

"So, Bella, are you going to be good if I leave you with Jessica?" Riley inquires.

"Um, yeah, I think so," I reassure him as we walk out of the arena toward the exit.

"Good, then I won't feel guilty for leaving you then. But hey, before I go, is everything okay with you? After you came back from the bathroom you seemed off or something."

"Yeah, I'm fine, Ry. I promise."

"Bella, come on. We're ready to go, stop dilly dallying around," Jessica screams at me.

"Kay, gotta go before they leave me," I hug Riley as he kisses me on my cheek. Just as I'm about to tell him thank you for a great night, I hear him...

"Isabella_."_

~IoI~

Thanks again to my Betas and pre-reader, and many, many thanks to all of you who have reviewed, alerted and favorited my story.

Some people have left anon reviews; I can't reply to you, I can't answer your questions either. This story is a WIP, with this being the sixth chapter posted. Remember Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will Bella and Edward's relationship nor their maturity on the situation.

xoxo,

T


	7. Chapter 7

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

"_Isabella."_

I turn around slowly and there's Edward. I knew he was too quiet. I should have guessed that he was up to something.

"Edward, what are you doing here? I told you I was going out with Riley tonight and that I would see you later," I hint to him, while trying to side-eye Riley, so Edward will get the hint to not make another scene. Yeah, I should know better by now. At least one would think, right?

"I knew you were going out with him, but I did _not_ know you would be kissing him goodnight or holding his hand," Edward hurls at me, while glaring at Riley.

"Uh, Riley, I'm going to get a ride with Jessica, so I'll talk to you tomorrow or something, okay?" My eyes plead with him to just let me go with Edward and not cause a fight.

"Okay, B, text me so I know you got to her house. I'll feel better that way," he says as he stares at Edward. I'm not quite sure if he's that confident or just putting up a front.

"_She_ will be fine with me, asshole! You don't need to worry about her anymore," Edward growls and at this moment even I'm scared. I know I push his buttons, and sometimes he scares me a little, but tonight I think I may have pushed him too far.

"Bye, Ry," I mutter to him as I turn and hastily walk away with Edward. Once we are out of Riley's ear shot, I turn and look at Edward. "You know, _you_ don't have to be such an asshole either. I was only telling him goodbye and then I was going to Jessica's. At least _he's_ concerned enough to make sure I get home okay...unlike_ some_ _people_ who can't bother to even text or call."

"That's so not fair and you know it! Plus, I did text you tonight," Edward states.

"Uh, yeah, but only after Royce sent you a text telling you I was holding hands with Riley."

Edward stopped walking and pulled me by my arm so we were face to face. He leaned in and placed his mouth by my ear.

"Bella, you're _mine_, you belong to _me_," he breathes into my ear heavily. As he pulls back and looks at me, I see his eyes are suddenly dark, his pupils dilated.

"I _don't_ belong to you, Edward. You stated last night that you don't _do_ relationships, so the last time I checked,_ I am_ my own person. Right now, you can let go of me, so I can leave with my best friend. And you, you can go back to Emily, since she seems to be around anytime I'm not," I spit angrily.

"No fucking way, Bella, you're mine. Don't babble some bull shit to me! You are mine, forever. I'm never letting you go."

"_Fuck you!"_

"Yeah, you would like that wouldn't you? Not now, sweetheart, not now. Right now we need to get you home so you can calm down. And we need to talk, because I'm not going to do this shit with you anymore. If you want to be with Riley, then fucking be with that piece of shit cheater. But you can't be with Riley when you are pissed at me and expect that to go over well, capice?" Edward growls at me.

I'm so angry that I'm shaking. I just want to get away from him.

"Fine," I mutter, and turn to walk toward Jess' car, but Edward gently grabs my arm before I can get away.

"Hey, I'm taking you," he says quietly. "Jasper is taking Jess out, so he rode with me. I promise I'll get you to her house in one piece."

I look over to where Jess is and she's pleading with her eyes to please say that it's okay if she leaves with Jasper. I nod. I don't want her night to be ruined too. That's not fair and I'm not that shitty of a friend.

Jessica smiles at me as she takes Jasper's hand and they walk to her car. "Thanks, B. See you later," she says as she gets into the car. I have a key to Jess' house and her parents won't care that I arrive before her; thank God for that. Between her, Lauren, and Jake, I feel as though I'm closer to their parents than I am to my own.

As Edward and I walk toward his car, I try to make small talk, not really knowing how this is going to go between us. It's almost like it's over before it even got started. Which sucks because I like him. I really like him.

"So how was work tonight? Busy?" I inquire.

"It was good, was busy. Jake came in. He wants a scarification on his leg that we are fleshing out. I need to research how to do it to make sure I do it right. He mentioned calling you to see if you want to come in when I start it, but it still may be a couple of weeks until that happens."

"Yeah, I miss Jake. I haven't talked to him much lately."

"You should. I think he really misses you. He may be pissed at me for pursuing you, but he loves you, ya know?" Edward says as he looks over at me, smiling.

"Yeah, same here."

"So, before I take you to Jess', do you want to grab something to eat? Maybe talk for a few minutes? I promise to be on my best behavior if you promise the same. No yelling at one another."

"Sure, that would be good."

~IoI~

Looking over the menu at Tik-Tok, as I'm trying to decide what I want, I feel his eyes on me. I look up to a smiling Edward.

"What?" I whisper.

"It's just you. You're so damn headstrong, it drives me mad. But no matter what I do, I can't stay away from you. I've tried everything, but nothing has worked, and in the meantime all I do is irritate myself and end up with you pissed at me," he explains, while looking between me and the menu.

I smile as the server walks over to take our order, unable to respond to him.

"Hi, my name's Ashley and I'll be your server this evening. What can I get for you, sugar?" she says to Edward, while eyeing his tattoos.

"Bella, what would you like, babe?" he asks as he nods my way. He's going to make sure I'm taken care of first_, _which is very polite of him_._

Did I mention he called me babe?

"I'll have the Denver omelet, pancakes, and sour dough toast. Oh, and a Coke please, thanks," I say as she takes my menu, her eyes never leaving Edward.

"I'll have the Chicken Fried Steak Scramble and a Coke as well, thanks," Edward says to Ashley, but his eyes never leave my face. He never once acknowledged her.

I notice she can't manage to tear her eyes away from him and hell, I can't blame her. He's a sight. His hair's all over the place and it makes me wonder if he was pulling at it when he was unable to get a hold of me. His normal, well put together self is all out of sorts. I think I have an effect on this man.

"So where were we before? Oh yeah, I guess I should have clarified some things when I said I don't do relationships the other day. I haven't had a serious _anything s_ince Tanya, and you saw how that worked out with her. We were together at the age of sixteen and were each other's first. I loved her with everything I had. I still do in a different kind of way. After all, we did create a child together." Edward runs his hands through his hair, exasperated with trying to explain the situation. "I wanted to marry her when she found out she was pregnant with Emma. In that moment, my whole world changed. But, Tanya's from a very well to-do family and they have money, very old money. She was told she would be disinherited if she married me. So as you can see, she went with the money and not me. It was okay for a couple of years, but then the stress of the situation, of us together, yet not, just got to be too much," he explained.

"But what about Emily and what she said?" I ask. I'm sure the confusion I feel is written all over my face.

"Here's your chicken fried steak sweetie," server girl says as she hands Edward his plate. I swear I hear her say, _and_ _I bet it' tastes as good as you do. _Thank God Edward didn't hear her, and if he did, he didn't acknowledge her. He's still only staring at me.

I feel my irritation building in my chest. There is no way I want this to continue one second longer, even if Edward isn't paying attention. I'm still here and that is disrespectful.

"Ashley is it?" She looks at me with annoyance. "Umm yeah, my boyfriend and I are trying to have a private conversation here. If he so chooses to ask you out or flirt in return, fine. But until then, he's mine, so please stop flirting with him in front of me," I snap at her.

At least she does have the decency to apologize and show a look of embarrassment as she scampers away.

"Wow, B, I didn't know you had it in you," Edward chuckles.

"Sorry, I know you're not my '_boyfriend_', but her drool was damn near getting on my food."

"No worries, no worries," he mumbles as he shoves food into his mouth. "I love it when you get all feisty and territorial, as long as you don't get feisty on me. It lets me know you care. Now, back to your earlier question, I never considered Emily my girlfriend. She just called herself my girlfriend, and I never argued with her. It was just easier that way. She knew how I felt and it wasn't until you walked in the shop that I felt the need to correct her."

I'm stunned. It then dawns on me how much shit he's had to go through over the last eleven years. I, on the other hand, have acted like a fucking two-year old trying to get his attention. I should have just talked to him, instead of acting like I did. I start to tell him this and he holds up his hand to silence me.

"Bella, stop right there. I can see you're trying to over analyze this. I didn't realize that I needed to define what we were, or are for that matter. I don't want you to date anyone else, or hang out with Riley. I'm not dating Emily or having sex with her, regardless of what she says or how she acts. I _do_ want to date you, but I don't want to have to go through this shit again, where you don't text me back or call," he explains.

"Edward, I freak out too when I don't hear from you. Crazy thoughts run through my brain. The last thing I saw yesterday was Emily walking in as I was leaving. Then I heard nothing from you until you freaked out on me tonight. So, really, what am I supposed to think? I've never 'just dated' someone. I've had one serious relationship and after it ended I went out on a few first dates. I didn't feel anything with any of them, so I never accepted a second date. Riley's the only boyfriend I've ever had," I explain, as I finish my omelet.

I see Ashley in the corner watching us. Hopefully, only to make sure we don't need anything. As soon as she sees me move my plate to the side, she comes to retrieve it, but says nothing. Thank God, I don't think I can handle anymore tonight.

"I know, and I realize we were both in the wrong, Bella. But, I meant what I said, you belong to me and I won't share you with anyone in that capacity. If I have to be labeled as your boyfriend to make sure that happens, then that's what I'll be. Just don't expect me to do flowers, candles, and all that romance shit. It's just not me."

"Edward, I only want you. I want to spend time with you, and not worry if you are sleeping, making out, or screwing anyone behind my back. I don't like Emily and I don't want to say that she can't come around, because I know that isn't fair, but I will say, I don't want you alone with her. So, I promise not to be alone with Riley, if you can show me the same courtesy. Can we agree? And then we can work on the relationship expectations as we go. I was used to someone who spent all of their time with me, so this is a change for me as well."

"Good and agreed. From this moment on, talk to me, don't shut me out, and I'll do the same. Understand that I work crazy hours, so I may not always answer the phone, because sometimes I'm sleeping. But I promise to work on returning your calls," he whispers.

"Deal. Now let's go before Jessica and Jasper get home before I do, and she starts blowing up my phone. Her curfew is one and I have to be there by then. Plus, it's twelve-thirty now, so we should get going."

As I collect my things and Edward settles the check, I look at him, deciding now was as good a time as any to clue him in on my plans for next year. "So, uh, since we are opening the lines of communication, is this a good time to let you know that I'm planning on moving in with Jake after graduation?"

Edward snarls and mutters under his breath, "We'll see about that."

~IoI~

Thanks again to my Betas and pre-reader, and many, many thanks to all of you who have reviewed, alerted and favorited my story.

xoxo,

T


	8. Chapter 8

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

Edward snarls and mutters under his breath, "We'll see about that."

"Edward, it's already been decided; I'm going to University of Oregon Portland next year. I'll be living with Jake and then transferring to University of Oregon in Eugene sophomore year. Jake and I've been talking about this for a couple years now. It's always been the plan. Sorry if it disappoints you, but this is my life and this is what I want," I explain, as I look into those beautiful eyes.

"Okay," he says slowly, but I can see the wheels turning in his head. I worry he's going to freak out and end what has hardly started between us.

"Please don't get upset. We literally just got together and are still getting to know one another. I feel like you're pissed about choices I made before we even met, and that's crazy. College is something I promised my Mom I would do for both of us. She passed away when I was ten and I barely had any time with her. She would always talk to me about life and would tell me to make sure I did something important with it." My voice is barely a whisper, as the tears formed in my eyes, threatening to spill over.

"This plan, it means something to me and I have to stay with Jake to make it happen. I love Charlie, I truly do, but he has a life of his own now. He doesn't need me; he has Sue and the boys. I need this, Edward. With or without you."

He doesn't say a word, just nods his head. "I should get you to Jess'. It's getting late and I don't want you to get into trouble because of me. I'll still see you tomorrow still, right? That is if I haven't completely ruined things with you," he implores.

"No, we're good. Just don't ignore me, talk to me. In return, I'll try my best to communicate with you. If we can't start with this most basic fundamental, we'll never be able to make this work. And I really would like to see this relationship work," I say to him shyly. I'm equally worried of scaring him off, but he needs to hear me.

"I already told you, B, I own you, so it's all good," he says with a smirk.

~IoI~

As we pull into Jess' driveway, I see her car's already there.

"Fuck. What time is it? Am I late?" I ask Edward frantically. Jess' parents are pretty cool, but they won't be happy if they think I'm lying to my parents.

"It's one-o-five, Bella. You're only five minutes late. Go inside and I'll see you tomorrow. I'm glad we talked. I promise I'll try harder from now on."

"Mkay," I mumble as I kiss him goodbye.

"Go to bed you, you're exhausted," he chuckles, as I stumble out of the car and into the house.

Jessica, of course, is all smiles and I'm sure she's dying to talk to me about Jasper. This suits me just fine, because I need to chat with her about Edward anyway. I need some advice, and she and Lauren have always been there for me, as I have for them.

"So, Cullen can be a little extreme, huh?" she questions me, eyebrows raised.

"He's not so bad, Jess, really. We just had to talk it out. You know, about his possessiveness and me being intentionally immature at times just to piss him off," I explain.

"Okay, but I must say, I'm not into this whole 'owning' shit," she tells me, finger quotes and all. "I personally think he could've handled himself a little better. Jasper did explain some of his past to me, so I get it, but B, you're my best friend and I love you. I just don't want to see you get hurt again, that's all."

"I know, I know, and I think he really likes me; he's just so damn intense about it. I told him tonight about me moving in with Jake after graduation…" I let my words trail off.

"And?"

I took a deep sigh. "And that went over like a ton of bricks. He was pissed, but I explained to him that Jake and I've had this plan for a while now. I want to go to school and this is the only way to make it happen. I'm not letting him or anyone get in the way of that. He doesn't have to like it. This is my life and I'm the one living it, not anyone else," I yawn.

"Well, you know I support you, B. Just stick to the plan and don't back down when it comes to Edward. I want to tell you _all_ about Jasper, but I guess it can wait till morning. I'm pretty exhausted; he wore me out tonight," she snickers into her pillow.

"Gross, Jess, really gross. I don't care to hear about your sex life," I complain.

She laughs harder as she turns out the light, cloaking us in darkness.

I lay still for a few minutes, trying to get comfortable, when I hear Jess already snoring softly. Wow, she really _was_ exhausted. Unfortunately, my brain won't shut off yet. I want to reflect on all that happened tonight. Yes I like _him_, but do I want his possessiveness in my life? If I truly admit to myself what I want, then yes, I like Edward. No, I _really _like Edward, and I know we can make this work.

~IoI~

I wake to my phone alerting me to a message. What the fuck. Don't people realize that it's Saturday morning? I want to sleep. I _need_ my sleep. I look to see who's texting me at this ungodly hour.

Jake.

Of course, who else would it be? No one else I know gets up this early on Saturdays. And here I was looking forward to sleeping in for once.

_Belly-Boo up for breakfast? I'll come get u – J_

Dear God, breakfast _does_ sound good. I look to the clock and realize it's ten AM. Holy shit! I have things to do today, so it would be as good as time as any to get up and get moving. After texting Jake back telling him yes to breakfast, I jump in the shower.

Jess is still asleep as I finish getting dressed, so I leave her a quick note explaining where I'm going and tell her to call me later, so she doesn't worry.

I finish the letter just as Jake is pulling up.

"Hey you. Long time no see," I joke as I open the door and get in the car.

"Ha-ha, B. Just because you have a new boyfriend now, you can't be bothered with anyone else, can you?" he questions, with a glint of humor in his eyes.

"Whatever. You know I always make time for you. And speaking of said boyfriend, I told him last night about our plan of me moving in with you, going to UofOP, and then transferring to Oregon-Eugene. That didn't go over so well with him," I blather.

Jake gives me a side look and grin. "Yeah, I imagine that didn't go over so well, B. That bastard, Cullen's over the moon with you and you told him you're moving in with me. Thanks for the heads up, so I know he will be attempting to kill me," he laughs.

"Seriously, Jake, I'm my own person, no matter if I'm in a relationship with Edward. These are _our_ plans and have been our plans. I told him I'm not letting him come in between me and college. I'll break-up with him before I allow that to happen," I snip back.

"Okay, okay," he says, "this I gotta see."

"Damn, Tik-Tok, again? Fuck, how many times can a person eat here in twenty-four hours?" I mutter to myself.

And of course, when we walk in who else do I see other than Ashley.

Great, this should be good. I give her shit about flirting with Edward and then I'm back less than twenty-four hours later with a different guy.

Fuck my life.

~IoI~

As we're leaving Tik-Tok and heading to the shop to see Edward, I remember him talking about Jake and the scarification he's going to get.

"Hey, I forgot to ask you. Edward said something about you getting a scarification? When's he planning on doing it? You know I want to be there, right? We've talked about it and I'm so excited for you! What'd you decide to get and where?" I ask excitedly.

"B, take a breath, calm down. One question at a time," Jakes chuckles at me and my obvious excitement. "My leg and I think I want some tribal design, maybe. I don't know. We're still talking about it. And of course you'll be there, B. I wouldn't have it any other way. I know the _where, _so as soon as we figure out the _when_,and Cullen's done researching the_ how_, I will make sure you know," Jake tells me.

I flush with excitement. Thank God I'm just with Jake, because someone else would've taken my excitement for Jake the complete wrong way.

"Sweet."

"B, you look like you've just been freshly fucked with that stupid grin on your face. Cullen's going to want to kill me and I didn't even do anything to you. Fucking great," Jake whines, as we get out of his car and start walking toward the shop.

"Pfft, please, I have him wrapped around my finger. It's all good, no worries," I tease.

"Who do you have wrapped around your finger, and what the _hell_ have you been doing?"

~IoI~

**Please remember Bella is only eighteen.**

**Thanks again to my Betas and pre-reader, they make everything prettier and hold my hand when I need it.**

**For all of you reviewers, lurkers and readers thank you for your support. **

**xoxo,**

**T**


	9. Chapter 9

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

"Who do you have wrapped around your finger, and what the _hell_ have you been doing?"

Fuck my life.

"Edward, uh, Jake was telling me about the scarification you are going to do for him," I smile coyly. I break the distance between him and me, so we are face to face. "When I think about the adrenaline rush that will accompany the bittersweet pain he will be in, I can barely stand it." I lean in closer so my lips brush against his ear. "Combine that with the precision and the intensity it will take for you to do it, and well, truth be told, it gets me all hot and bothered. _Sorry_?" I whisper.

"Oh God, Bella. You can't say shit like that to me," he says looking pained.

"Or in front of me," Jake whines. "Jesus Bella, whatever sick shit the two of you do behind closed doors, please do _not_ involve me, okay? On that note, I'm going in before you two gross me out even more."

As Jake walks into the shop, Edward chuckles as I hug him hello.

"I missed you, beautiful; did you and Jessica have a good night? I know Jasper looked like the cat that ate the canary this morning."

"Yeah, we chatted for a little bit, before falling asleep on one another. Then shithead over there woke me up at the butt-ass crack of dawn, which is ten AM, to take me to breakfast. Your favorite server was there, Ashleeeee. I am sure she thinks I am some whore coming in there with two different guys within twenty-four hours."

"Come on, B. She wasn't that bad. Give the girl a break," he says, as he winks at me, trying to get me riled up.

"Fine, we'll see how you feel when some guy flirts with _me_ in front of _you_," I snicker, as he growls.

He shakes his head at my comment. "Let's get inside before they send a search party for us, thinking I ran away with you," he says, eyes twinkling. He wraps his arm around me and pulls me close. "Seriously Bella, we could run away and never come back. Then I could have you all to myself. God, I would love that."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Whatever Edward, let's go. I want to see these designs you and Jake have been talking about. Plus, I have a date tonight. I need to get ready, so I can't be hanging out with you all day long, you know," I tease.

~IoI~

"I want it the whole length of my calf, in criss-cross lines. Once it heals up nice, you can go back and add a tattoo with some shading. It's going to look so badass. I can't wait," Jake salivates, as he and Edward discuss his scarification.

Between Jakes excitement and the glimmer in Edward's eyes, I don't know how much more I can take. I'm excited by the very thought of it. Now, I know having had my navel pierced is nothing like the pain Jake is about to go through, but watching the excitement in Edward's eyes is making my girly bits tingle like they have never before. Who knew I was a masochist. I no longer could wait until later when Edward and I are out together, alone. I am hoping Edward will be able to help me out with a little relief.

Looking at the clock, I realize I need to go. I have a date to get ready for and I want to look good.

"Guys I hate to bust up this meeting of the minds, but I have a date with my _boyfriend _tonight, so I need to go get ready," I giggle.

"Sweet girl, why are you giggling?" Edward whispers huskily in my ear.

I turn to him and whisper, "Because when I go home to take my shower, it will be your name I'll be moaning as I am taking care of the ache between my legs."

"Fuck."

"B, let's go. Am I taking you to Lauren's or Jessica's?" Jake asks, while ignoring the obvious sexual tension between Edward and myself. "And Cullen, close your fucking mouth, would you? Come the fuck on already, B. I don't want to be around you two if you're going to be like this all the time."

"Christ, shut up, Black. Bella, I'll pick you up at seven, okay? Laurens right?" Edward says, with a wink and a quick glance down my body.

"Perfect, see you later," I say with a smile, as I blow him a kiss.

~IoI~

"B, you know you shouldn't fuck with him like that. It's so mean," Jake chastises me as we get into the car.

"Oh what the fuck ever. We all know _nothing_ is going to happen tonight, at least not like that anyway. Why do you always have to be such a Debbie Downer?" I question him.

"I just don't want you to lead him on. It's not cool that's all, B, nothing more."

"Well, Mr. Black, if I didn't know any better I would say you might be jealous of me and Edward?"

"What? No fucking way," Jake scoffs, "I don't view you as dating material, B. So, no, I'm definitely not jealous."

"Whatever, you just keep telling yourself that, Jake. It can be our secret. I won't tell Edward if you won't," I laugh.

"Yeah, you tell Cullen that and our friendship would be as good as over."

I turn to look at him. "Jake, he doesn't own me, nor will he tell me who I can and can't be friends with, understand? Not now, not ever, so don't forget that," I tell him in all seriousness.

"Okay, I just don't want to cause problems between you guys. I know we are friends, but it's obvious that you are falling hard for him."

"Don't worry Jake, you won't be the cause of any problems between us," I say, as we pull up to Lauren's house.

I turn to Jake as I reach to open the door, "Thanks for the ride and breakfast, Jake.. Please remember, we were friends first, and I am not letting Edward come between me and you, or anybody. And if shit is said, you tell me and I will deal with him, okay? I love you, and you have always been there for me; just as Lauren and Jessica have. That will never change."

"Gotcha, and I love you too," he says, as I reach over and hug him goodbye. "Have fun tonight and please for all that is holy, be careful."

~IoI~

After a long shower and multiple fantasies of Edward; him taking me up against the shower wall, me on my knees in front of him, and then him taking me over the sink, I realize I need to get out before I use all of the hot water. Lauren will be pissed and I really don't want to sour the good mood I am in. There is something gratifying about post-colital bliss, even if self-induced.

"Okay bitches, what am I going to wear tonight? I don't want sleazy. But, I do want cute, sexy, and to still look like me," I state to my two best friends, as we stand in front of the closet. Since the three of us are all the same size, we often swap clothes. At any given time we never know what might be in each other's closets.

Lauren and Jess start pulling out short skirts and shirts that show a bit more skin than I plan to show.

I knew I needed to pipe in before I ended up leaving the house looking like a street walker. "And, I plan to wear my chucks, so neither of you had better give me shit about that. I can look both cute _and_ be comfortable. I was thinking I could wear that t-shirt that says, 'Keep Calm and Get a Tattoo' with the new jeans Lauren got a few weeks ago?"

"Yeah, I think that will work just fine. But, hair down, right?" questions Jess. "I mean that way your outfit is simple and cute, and will hit home with where his heart and livelihood are. It will make him feel good. And besides, your ass in those jeans, B. It looks good enough to bite."

"Yep," Lauren giggles.

"Sweet, then it's settled. Help me get dressed, because." I look to the clock, "shit, he's going to be here in like thirty-minutes."

Thank God I don't have to do too much to my hair. Since I was in the shower so long, I don't have time to dry it completely. I brush it out quick and once it dries, it will curl just enough; just the way Edward likes it. My make-up will be minimal, and totally me. Charlie wasn't up on all of the girly stuff when I was younger, so some things I never really got into; make-up being one of them. A dab of moisturizer, some black mascara, a hint of lip gloss and I'm good to go.

"Perfection. Cullen won't know what hit him, B. You look amazing," Jess squeals.

"I couldn't agree more, and I think my jeans look better on you than me," jokes Lauren.

"Thanks." Tires on the driveway alert me to his arrival." Shit, he's here, and I'm ready just in time. Wish me luck girls," I say to my two besties, as they both look at me like I've lost my mind.

"Why would you need luck Bella?" Lauren asks.

"Let me put it this way; with Riley it was easy for me to say no to anything sexual if I wasn't comfortable with it. With Edward, it's different. I don't want to rush anything, but I don't know if I will be able to say no to him either. He makes me feel things I've never felt before. I want to experience everything with him."

"You'll get it figured out, B, but good luck anyway," Jess says, as she hugs me.

As I walk downstairs, it takes everything I have not to run and open the door. I've been making a conscious effort these days to appear mature, but damn sometimes my age really shows. I open the door just as Edward is about to knock. Suddenly, I wish I was wearing a bib as I take in the sight before me that is Edward Cullen. Dear God in heaven above, this man is hot.

His dark wash jeans sit low on his hips, yet they hug him perfectly in all the right places. He is sporting a green thermal shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, even though it is fifty degrees outside. Combine all of that with the Doc Martens on his feet and I'm a goner. I know I see him every day, but this look is to die for. He is so damn sexy.

"Bella, you look amazing, and I fucking love that shirt. It's so fitting for you, huh? I can hardly wait to mark you with my ink," he pants, as he takes me in. The way he looks at me makes my breath hitch and my stomach flip. Even my butterflies have butterflies.

"Okay, you; let's go before I eat you up right here in the doorway," I whimper, as Jess and Lauren giggle in the background. Edward raises an eyebrow and gives me a smirk.

"Goodnight girls," Edward nods to them as we walk to the car.

Edward leans in to me as we get to his car. "B, are you sure you want to be alone with me tonight? You look so delectable; I'm not sure I can be a gentleman. I'm not gonna lie, I want to do things to you. Very bad things."

I giggle at his words; if he only knew what I want to do to him.

**~IoI~**

Thanks again to my Betas and pre-readers, and many, many thanks to all of you who have reviewed, alerted and favorited my story.

Special thanks to MidNightLove87 for rec'ing my story out on her Facebook Group. If you aren't reading any of her stories you are missing out. Her latest, Darkness Consumes Me is consuming me.

www . fanfiction u / 2185154 / MidnightLove87 (remove the spaces)

xoxo,

T


	10. Chapter 10

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

"What are you giggling about over there, sweet girl?" Edward inquires, as he opens my door.

Blushing, I duck my head and whisper," I was thinking about all of the things I want to do to you, too."

I look up to see his green eyes boring into mine. "And what might that be, per say?"

"Well, let's just say, I know and you can _maybe_ find out?" I whisper so, so low, hoping he can't hear me. As he flashes me that famous lopsided grin, I know he heard what I said.

"Is that so, Ms. Swan? Well, I'll do whatever I need to do to find out what you mean," he whispers, as his lips kiss mine and I moan like a wanton slut.

God, what the hell is wrong with me? I don't want to be said slut. I am trying to be more mature in this situation and I'm already losing.

"So Edward, what's on the agenda for us tonight?" I ask innocently, hoping to change the subject without being obvious.

He just chuckles as he says, "Changing the subject, huh? Okay, I can work with that. I thought we could get delivery, maybe Chinese, watch a movie at my place and hang out. Is that good with you?"

He lost me at hang out; I knew what he meant by '_hang out_'. "Ummm yeah, I love Chinese. Any particular movie in mind?"

"Maybe a horror?" he quirks.

"Yeah, horror is good. I love horror," I assure him.

"Sweet, how about _The Devil's Rejects_? Jake mentioned in passing you are a Zombie fan," he quipped.

"Well, he might be on my free list. I have an unusual crush on him." I snicker at the shock on Edward's face, before I follow up my statement, "I have a thing for tattoos, you know, and he has quite a few, so umm yeah, Rob Zombie."

Edward shakes his head. "Woman, you never cease to amaze me with some of the things that come out of your mouth. So Chinese? What do you want and I can call in the order?"

"Kung Pao chicken, crab rangoon and some California rolls, please?"

"Hungry?" he asks, as my stomach growls loudly. I want to die and as he laughs.

"Well, maybe just a little. I haven't eaten since this morning when Jake and I went to breakfast. I got busy with the girls and time flew by. Normally I don't do that," I explain as he continues to laugh.

~IoI~

After we get to Edward's, we order our dinner and start the movie download. As we wait on the movie to finish, Edward looks at me with such seriousness and tenderness in his expression.

"Bella, thank you for agreeing to spend time with me; for that matter, thank you for agreeing to be with just me," he whispers. "The more I get to know you, the more I like. You have this spunk about you and you are forever keeping me on my toes. I have the desire to share everything with you. I know I tend to go overboard sometimes, and I'm sorry if I come on too strong, I just never want to lose you."

"Edward, just be honest with me and yourself and we will be fine, okay?" I tell him, as I lean over and kiss him. I swear his lips are my favorite feature.

As Edward kisses me back, I moan and my body melts into him. I fit perfectly right into his side. Just as I climb onto his lap and straddle him, the doorbell rings.

"Fuck," he moans, "fucking great." I chuckle as he picks me up and sets me next to him. He gets up and adjusts his obvious erection, as he heads to the door. It's probably good the food came when it did. I don't think I could tell him no and I'm not ready for that much physical activity quite yet.

Thankfully, he looks less sexually tense when comes back with our food, chopsticks and two bottles of water. My stomach growls again, as I smell the food.

"B, you're really hungry. Let's feed that belly," he quips.

"Just a little, how can you tell? So, are we going to watch the movie while we eat or do you want to chat while we eat and watch then movie when we're done?" I'm personally praying for the latter. I really don't want to watch gore while I am trying to eat.

"Let's eat and chat and then watch the movie. This way we can have a _real _first date," he chuckles.

"That works for me," I say while taking a bite of my Kung Pao chicken. "So, what made you want to become a tattoo artist? Is it something you always wanted to do, or did you just stumbled into?"

"Well, I wanted to go to art school. I love to draw, but some things in life don't always work out the way we want. I had some problems with the law when I was younger, so I stumbled into tattooing and I ended up doing an apprenticeship with the guy that did my first one.

"Forrest was good to me and taught me a lot. I wasn't close with my parents and when I turned eighteen, I left to be on my own. Forrest took me in and under his wing. I guess you could say the rest is history. He taught me everything I know. Tanya was always around, and of course that pissed her parents off even more than they were when they found out we were together. They felt she could do better than me, but we loved one another and at that age, I don't think you ever really look to the future in those terms."

I nodded; he never really talked about Tanya or his childhood, so I was unsure what to say.

"When Tanya got pregnant, it was really hard on us. Her parents threatened to cut her off financially if she married me, so she decided then she would never marry me. That killed me, B. I was shattered. I really loved her then. I love Emma, and even knowing how things turned out, I wouldn't change a thing. I'm happy she wouldn't marry me if it was all about money. I make a good living now. I won't ever have the Denali's kind of money, but I can take care of my own."

"Edward," I reach out and take his face in my hands, "you should never be embarrassed for who you are or what you've done with your life. You are an amazing dad. I've seen glimpses of you with Emma, she adores you. Tanya, well I don't know much about her other than what she thinks of me," I laugh.

"Yeah, well you don't have to worry about her; she and I are over. We will never_ be _again, and besides, I have all present and future claims on you, Ms. Swan."

"You think so, huh? And what does Emily think about that, Mr. Cullen?" As soon as I ask, his eyes darken with anger.

"Why do you always have to go back to her?" he demands.

"Back to her?" I feign innocence, "Edward, in case you haven't noticed, she's never left. She seems to always be around. All I am saying is, if this," I motion my finger between the two of us, "is going to work, she needs to move onto someone else. I, me, Bella can only take so much of her. That's all I saying," I explain.

"Bella, she is nothing to me; nothing. I want you, and only you, but she's my friend. I can't just dismiss her because you don't like her," he replies.

"Well, I don't like it one bit. You got all pissed about Riley, but I can't say shit about her. How's that fair? If I'm not telling you who you can and can't hang around, then show me the same courtesy, okay? And for the record, I think there's something more going on between you guys," I say, as the tears well up in my eyes. I wanted the perfect night with Edward, yet we can't even have that.

"B, I swear to God, I'm _not_ having sex with her. I promise! But she's my friend and I can't stop hanging out with her. I swear to you though; she and I are over. We are_ only _friends, just as you have told me there is nothing going on with Riley and you."

"Yes, and yet we all saw how you freaked about that last night," I remark.

"You were holding hands with him. Holding hands! I don't fucking hold hands with Emily, B," he stresses to me.

"Fine! Then can you explain to me why I see the two of you leaving the shop early in the morning together? If there's nothing going on and you close at midnight most nights, then why would _both_ be leaving at seven in the morning together? Tell me that Edward?" Tears start falling freely from eyes.

"B, there is nothing going on. That's all I can tell and will tell you. Though I would like to know, why are you stalking me? I mean seriously, what the fuck? You bitch at me for that shit," he asks angrily.

"I wasn't stalking you Edward. I was at Starbuck's on my way to school. I saw the two of you leaving, and then you text telling me you were heading home to go to bed. You didn't know I saw you, but what the fuck do you think I thought when I saw you with her heading home to go to bed?" I cry.

"Oh baby, I'm so sorry. We work late some nights and she crashes there quite a bit. She doesn't have a place to live at the moment and is bouncing back and forth. Once I met you, I knew that you were _it_ for me. There will never be anyone else. I swear," he reiterates.

"I just don't trust her. She doesn't like me and regardless of what she says, she still has feelings for you," I insist.

"Even if she does, I only have eyes for you," he says, as he pulls me into his lap, "only you, B. Only you." He leans in and takes my face in his hands and kisses me. As soon as his tongue touches my lower lip asking for entrance, I gladly give it.

I turn so I am straddling his lap, and can kiss him easier.

"Edward," I moan, as I continue to kiss him; movie and food forgotten. I move to get comfortable on his lap, and I feel him hardening beneath me.

"B," he moans, "you gotta be still. I can't take all of the moving around, baby. You're killing me."

"Sorry," I whisper, "I wasn't trying too, honest."

"I know, I know," he mumbles into my mouth, still nipping at my lips.

"Stay with me tonight," he whispers in my ear. As if on instinct, I stiffen against him. "No baby, not for that. I know we're not ready for that. I just want to wake up with you in my arms. I swear that's all, nothing more. I told you I will never push you."

"Edward as much as I want to, I can't. I'm not ready yet. I'm sorry, please don't be mad. I'm just not there yet, okay?" I admit to him, knowing I'm probably hurting him.

"It's okay, baby. I know one day, right?" He let out a sigh. "I guess it's getting late, though. I should get you back to Lauren's."

"I feel as though I have teased you all night. There's all this sexual tension floating about, and I feel as though I'm giving you mixed signals. I don't want you to be mad, or have a case of blue balls," I say, looking down between us.

Edward laughs, "Baby, I've had a case of blue balls since the moment I met you. It's okay, I don't think another day or two is going to hurt me. Let's get going though, before I try to change your mind. And I don't want you to regret anything you do with me."

~IoI~

Edward walks me to the door and gives me some kisses goodnight. He wraps his arms around me, holding me tight. "Baby, don't ever worry about my feelings for you. The more time I spend with you, the more I want to only be around you. Can I see you tomorrow?"

I shake my head, "Nope. I told the girls we would spend the day shopping together, sorry. Maybe the six of us can do dinner or something? I've got a busy week ahead with tests and studying. I do know the weekend you do Jake's scarification I am 'staying' at Lauren's again," I explain, "so; I need to get all my school shit done beforehand."

"Okay, I'll check with Royce and Jasper. Thank God we're closed tomorrow. Those two are so pussy whipped these days, I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't walking behind you at the mall carrying the shopping bags," he chuckles.

"Well, that would be a sight, huh? But the girls are shopping for their apartment, and I'm getting a few things for when I move out. Jake doesn't have shit and I can't spend all of my money at once or Charlie would go ballistic."

"I thought we discussed this Bella. You are _not_ moving in with Jake," Edward snaps.

"Uhhh Edward, you decided you didn't want me moving in with Jake. I never confirmed or denied anything. Please let's not fight again. I can't handle it and we can discuss this at a later time. I've got to get inside," I pause to kiss him, "I'll talk to you tomorrow." I place another kiss to his lips in hopes he will let it go.

He releases a breath. "Fine, sweet dreams."

"Always baby, always." I inch my way toward him to kiss him once more.

**IoI**

**Thanks again to my Betas and pre-readers, especially to one of my BFF's for her last minute work, ILY so much.**

**For all of you reviewers, lurkers and readers thank you for your support. Hope this is good for my girls in the Olderward Group on Facebook, no cliffie this week. **

**xoxo,**

**T**


	11. Chapter 11

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

I realize something this morning; Edward never did tell me what the deal was with Emily. I don't want to make a huge deal about her, but I don't want her to ruin my relationship with him either. Then she'll be getting what she wants; him. I guess I'll have to play it cool until she gives me a reason otherwise. Edward hasn't given me a reason not to trust him, yet. The operative word here is yet. I know not everyone is like Riley, but it's hard for me to believe in someone with my whole heart ever since Riley hurt me.

"Happy thoughts, happy thoughts," I mutter to myself, as I'm getting into the shower.

"B, come on, hurry up! We're ready to go," Lauren informs me, while yelling through the bathroom door.

"I'm coming. I'm coming," I scream back at her.

"Gross B, we didn't need to know all of that. TMI," she snorts through her laughter, as she makes fun of me.

I hurry up in the shower as fast as I can.

As I turn off the water and grab a towel to dry myself, my phone rings. Damn perfect timing.

"Hello."

"Hey baby, what are you doing?" asks Edward.

"Just got out the shower; I'm drying myself off, you?"

"B, why do you put these mental visions in my head?" he groans.

"Edward, you called me. Can I help it if I'm standing naked in the bathroom, with nothing but a towel on?" I giggle into the phone.

"Fuck woman, you're killing me."

"So, what did you need from me? Is dinner still a go for later?" I ask coyly, knowing my double innuendo will get to him.

"Fuck, can you stop teasing me, please? I'm not sure how much control I actually have and you pushing all of my buttons doesn't help. Okay, B?" he whimpers to me, his voice all shaky.

"Fine, I'm sorry. Yes, I'm getting dressed now, and we are about to head to the mall. When and where do you guys want to meet later? We are going to Lloyd's Center, so we can hit up some of the winter sales," I explain.

Edward laughs. "B, baby, I don't need to know all of the details. I'm good, I promise. How about we do dinner at Stanford's? I love that place and they have the best baby-back ribs. " He moans lightly into the phone. "Just thinking about them makes me hungry. Okay baby, go shop and we will meet you later."

Just as I am about to say goodbye to Edward, Lauren bursts into the bathroom yelling, "Bella! Let's go! Hurry up, goodbye Edward, she'll see you later!" she says to him, as she takes my phone and hangs up on my boyfriend.

"What the hell, Lauren? I was telling him goodbye. We were discussing dinner," I snap.

"Oh Bellyboo, don't be mad, let's go shopping," Jessica giggles, as she pushes me out of the bathroom, so I can put my clothes on.

"You know, if I didn't love you two as much as I do, I would be pissed right about now," I tell them both, while giving them mock glares as I pull on my jeans and t-shirt. "All right, let's go before I change my mind and don't want to shop with you two."

~IoI~

Shopping always wears me out, and with these two it's no different. We hit up damn near every store there, and now we're in Victoria's Secret. Jessica suggested we needed new underwear. Yeah, _she _needs new underwear for Jasper, that's all. But it's cool; I could use a few new things for myself.

Even if Edward isn't seeing my underwear, I still like to wear sexy bras and panties. It makes me feel sexy and confident.

"Bella, come look at this," Jessica exclaims, from somewhere deep in the dressing room. Thank God I don't get embarrassed anymore. I'm used to Jessica and Lauren shouting and parading around in whatever they have on at the moment.

Jessica has on this yellow bra, and I mean _yellow_. I guess she's getting our college colors early.

"Jess, you need sunglasses with that bra; it's so damn bright. Geesh, who are you trying to blind, Jasper? I'm sure he will love it though. Are you buying the matching thong too?" I ask as she models her lingerie for me.

A giggling Jess simply nods, "Yeah, I thought I would wear it for him this weekend."

"Nice, but I really don't want to know about all of that. Okay, I've got what I'm going to buy and I want to run to Hot Topic. Meet me there when you're done, okay?" I announce.

Lauren nods in agreement and gives me a thumbs up. She's on the phone, probably with her mom.

As I walk over to Hot Topic, my mind is on this corset I want in a gingham print. I saw it online and it's all I can think about.

Walking around the store, I find my corset and a few other things as well. I pick up a zombie t-shirt for Edward; I know he'll love it. As I'm leaving the store, I see Paul, Seth and Sam; some guys from school. They play on the hockey team, and they are also friends with Riley.

"Bella!"

I look up to see them walking over, "Hey guys, what's up?"

"Not much, we're going to the movies to catch House at the End of the Street. Seen it yet, Swan?" Paul asks.

"Nah, Jake mentioned something about it, but we haven't seen it yet. I'm thinking next weekend maybe. I know Lauren and Jess have mentioned wanting to see it, too," I comment.

"Speaking of, where are the two blonde princesses?" Seth inquires.

"Victoria's Secret, buying the store out by now I'm sure," I quip, which earns a laugh from the guys.

"Didn't you get anything? I'm sure Riley would love to see it," Paul assures me waggling his eyebrows.

I laugh and before I can even comment I hear, "Well, he won't be seeing anything on _my_ girlfriend."

God in Heaven, why now and why me?

"Edward, I'm surprised to see you here," I say as I glance at my watch, "Seeing as we weren't supposed to see you guys for another what, two hours?" I ask, as I quirk my eyebrow.

"Well, I had to come check on you, baby doll. You know you are too precious to me to let you out of my sight for too long. And see? As soon as you are on your own, the wolves descend," he snarls, as he looks at the guys.

"Edward, this is Paul, Seth and Sam from school. Guys this is my _boyfriend, _Edward Cullen. He owns Slave to the Needle. He did my navel a couple months ago and is about to do Jake's scarification," I say as calmly as possible. I'm trying not to lose my shit with Edward, as he's staking claim on me. His arms are wrapped so tight around me that I can barely breathe.

"Very cool, man," Paul says, sticking his hand out to shake Edward's. Thank God my overly possessive, pain in the ass boyfriend takes it and doesn't embarrass me further.

"Sorry about the Riley comment, man. We didn't know Bella had a new boyfriend," Seth interjects. Edward gives me the one eyebrow on that comment.

"Well Edward, I haven't seen the guys lately and the last they heard I was still going out with Riley."

"It's all good, as long as you guys know she belongs to me, and I don't share," he proclaims. I look on and shake my head. The poor guys probably don't know what hit them. Edward can be intimidating at first glance.

He rivals the three of them height wise, and close in the build department. I mean, sure they play hockey, but Edward works out as well. I just don't need a pissing match in the mall. I belong to him and I think I should reassure him. Reaching up on my tiptoes, I kiss him on his cheek, reassuring him physically in front of them.

"Baby, I'm all yours, it's all good. I'm starving. Can we go eat now?" I turn to look at the guys, smiling I say, "Guys, it was good to see you. I'll see you tomorrow at school, okay?"

All three nod in agreement, still taking Edward in. I'm sure they are going to go and tell Riley that my boyfriend is an asshole. Not that it matters, I'm sure he thinks that already anyways.

As we walk off, I turn to Edward and say, "Damn, next time just piss on my leg, why don't cha? It might come across better, okay?"

"Baby, you should have seen the looks on their faces. There wasn't anything innocent about that conversation," he assures me.

"Edward Cullen, you cannot put me on a leash to keep tabs on me. Do you understand? This shit is going to get old fast. I'm with you, not anyone else. But you can't go around scaring the shit of every male I come in contact with. I took care of myself before you came along and I can do it now, got it?" I say, as I give him my bitch brow look.

"Yes, baby I'll try to be better," he says, as he kisses my forehead, "I missed you and wanted to see you sooner than later. Sorry if I get pissy when I see other guys talking to my girl. I don't want to share, that's all."

"Edward, no one is sharing me. I want you and only you," I vow, as I take his hand and walk toward Stanford's. "Trust me."

~IoI~

Dinner is amazing, I love hanging out with my girls and now, their guys. Jessica and Jasper fit together perfectly; as do Lauren and Royce. It's almost like they've been together forever.

I get lost in thought about how I'm going to miss this next year when they move. I'll be here by myself; well with Jake and Edward, but I'll still miss my girls.

"Babe, what's going on in that head of yours?" Edward asks me quietly.

"Just thinking about next year; Jess and Lauren leaving me," I whisper, "Edward they've always been there. What am I going to do without them?" I question as I feel my eyes tearing up. Looking away, I blot my eyes before the tears fall. I feel his arms around me, pulling me to his chest.

As he kisses me on my forehead he whispers, "Bella, I'll always be here, I know I'm not Jess or Lauren, but I promise I can be a good friend too, not always the jealous boyfriend."

This makes me smile, just the word boyfriend, and the things he does for me. He can piss me off in two point five seconds; then make me smile in the next two point five seconds.

~IoI~

**So see, even though Edward can be an ass, he does care for her. **

**Thanks again to my Betas and pre-reader, they make everything prettier.**

**For all of you reviewers, lurkers and readers thank you for your support.**

**I found this little story that I adore... s/ 8656218 /1/ Barefoot-in-Texas by planetblue. Check it out, it's amazing!**

**xoxo,**

**T**


	12. Chapter 12

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

After our _episode_ in the mall, true to his word, Edward doesn't go all caveman on me for a few weeks. He did ask about the guys as school, and I assured him they were cool about how he acted, and didn't make a big deal about it.

It's now Friday afternoon, and I'm ready for this weekend to start more than any other before. Tonight's the night Jake is getting his scarification done and I'm stoked. Charlie thinks I'm staying the weekend at Lauren's, but her parents are going out of town, so she is staying with Royce.

Despite Edward's protests, I'm staying with Jake.

"So, B, you've got your crap in the car right?" Lauren questions and I nod my head. "Good, then we can drop it off at Jake's on the way to the shop after we drop my car off at my house. My parents left this morning, so we're golden."

"Sweet, I can't wait to see Edward. He's been kinda weird this week. I haven't seen him since last weekend, but we've talked every day. With finals coming up, I really need to study and he's acting like I haven't wanted to see him," I whine.

"B, you know how guys are; they need their ego stroked constantly and he probably feels neglected. Just make it up to him this weekend, B. You can stroke _something _and he will forget about everything else," giggles Lauren.

I bust out laughing. "You're such a tramp. It's a good thing I love you, huh?" I joke, as Lauren continues to laugh at me. "Besides I'm staying at Jake's this weekend to help him out after this thing Edward's going to do. Edward's not happy about it at all, so I'm going to have to do what I can to make him happy."

"See? Then a good stroke will come in handy," Lauren suggest, wagging her eyebrows.

"Okay, Slut Number One, I'll keep that in mind," I giggle, as Lauren sticks her tongue out at me.

~IoI~

We pull into the parking lot of Slave about a half an hour later. I'm all jacked up; I get to see my boy, well man technically. I didn't realize how much I had been missing him until today; true we had talked a lot this week, but I had been so busy with school, that it hadn't been the same.

I jumped out of the car before Lauren even had it in park, running inside to see him.

"Baby B," Edward croons, as he picks me up and twirls me around, "God baby, I've missed you so much. Please don't ever make me go that long without seeing you again? Please?"

"Never, I'm sorry I've been so busy with school," I whisper to him, as I lean in to kiss him. Not really caring who is around, I kiss him with all I have; our tongues fighting for dominance. I didn't realize how much I needed those lips and arms around me, until I feel the tears spilling over and running down my cheeks.

"Baby, what's wrong? What did I do? Did I hurt you?" Edward questions.

I'm so shaken up, I can't even answer him. I shake my head and hold him tighter. I just need to feel him close to me. I realized in that moment how much he truly does mean to me. Quite honestly it scares me, because I'm not sure he feels the same way.

"I'm okay. I just really missed you, E, like really missed you. So tell me, what have you been up to this week?" I ask, while wiping away my tears.

Damn PMS, my hormones are all over the place.

"Mainly working. The shop has been steady. It's almost like everyone on the West Coast has decided to drive to Portland for a tattoo or some sort of piercing this week. I've also been getting ready for Jake's scarification. I'm going to use the hatching method. I got a surgical scalpel to do what Jake asked and we went over the design earlier," he explains.

I must have a dumbfounded look on my face, because Edward laughs. "B, I promise it'll be okay. I've done extensive research. Jake will be fine, I promise," he assures me.

"I know. I just worry about the both of you. I understand why he wants this, and I support him. It just scares me, that's all."

"Belly Boo, I'm going to be fine. What's with all the tears? Cullen, why is she crying? Did you upset her again? Damn it man, I told you to stop doing that," Jake babbles while pulling me from Edward's arms and hugging me. "What did Cullen do, B? Why are you crying?" He pauses as I start to giggle. "Wait, why are you laughing at me?"

"Jake, I'm fine. I was all emotional earlier, because I haven't seen Edward in a week. Then we were talking about your scarification. I'm scared for you; not that I don't think Edward can do this, I'm just worried. We'll blame it on PMS, how's that?" I stammer like an idiot, realizing what I just said out loud and to whom. Fuck. Thank God they both seem to have ignored my last comment.

"Bella, I'll be fine, honestly. Are we ready to get started?" Jake inquires, looking at Edward.

"Whenever you are, man. It's all you. I've got everything ready to go, so if you need a minute, that's cool or if you're ready now, that's just as cool. How are you getting home? You know you can't drive, right?" Edward questions Jake, and of course Jake looks at me.

"Fuck no, you're not staying at his house tonight Bella," Edward roars, "I already said no. Why do you not listen to me?"

I could feel my blood boiling. "Listen to you? Excuse me, are you my Dad? I think not. I told you from the get go I was staying with Jake. If you have such an issue with me staying there, why don't you stay at Jake's too? That way you'll know what's going on, which is _nothing_! Then we can spend more time together." I slowly start to calm down. I take a deep breath to try and relax myself. "I mean, fuck, what the hell are you going to do when I live there? Camp out on the fucking balcony every night? Trust me; trust Jake, there is _nothing_ going on between us. I don't think of him like that, no offense Jake," I say smiling at him.

"None taken, B, none taken. Cullen she's right, stay the night too. B has her own room. It's not like she sleeps in my bed or anything." At this, Edward growls. "Dude, seriously? If Bree wasn't at school, she would have stayed with me."

"Bree?" Edward questions.

I smile. "Bree's the girl Jake dated in high school. I guess you two are talking again? I'm so glad. I adore her and she's so good for you, Jake."

"You have a girlfriend?" Edward mutters. "Wait, what happened with Emily?"

Jake pauses, looks at me quickly, before he answers Edward, "Let's just say we had a difference of opinion on some things and leave it at that. I know you guys are friends, but I can't live the lifestyle she does, so we decided it was best to part ways."

Okay, that comment was cryptic, but it appeases Edward and neither say anymore on the subject. That makes me wonder what happened with Emily and what is going on? What kind of life style does she live? Does it involve Edward? So many questions I want answers to, but I'm not asking tonight.

"All right, Jake, let's get started so we can get outta here before the sun comes up. I want to spend some quality time with my girl tonight," he informs us, while walking to the back of the shop where his chair is.

~IoI~

Even though I spend quite a bit of time at the shop, I usually don't come back here when Edward is tattooing or doing piercings. To me, it's unprofessional and I don't want to get that involved in his business or livelihood. Or give anyone an excuse to have any shit to say about me being back here.

So when I walk back here with the two of them, I'm an emotional mess. I know that Edward is going to take care of Jake and be professional, but the thought of Jake having someone do this to him on purpose, both terrifies and excites me all the same.

Edward has his station already set up; the scalpel is laid out, and the Bernzomatic is ready to go as well. He sits down and smiles at Jake, "Ready to go, man? I sure as hell know I'm ready."

"As ready as I'll ever be, Cullen. Let's get this shit over with," Jake replies to Edward, and looks at me. "Bella, will you sit in the chair next to me and hold my hand? I know that's a pussy thing for a guy to say, but I may need some reassurance."

"Of course, Jake, of course."

Edward puts on his gloves, and has this almost evil gleam in his eyes. I know then he is going to enjoy this, even if it's at Jake's expense. After all, Jake asked for it. I just pray that I can handle all of this and not pass out. I don't like blood and I know that Jake is going to bleed. Edward has done so much research for this, and Jake is confident in his decision and in Cullen's ability, so I'm going with the flow.

"All right man, this shit is going to hurt like a mother fucker. There's no way for me to not make it hurt. So let me know at anytime if you think you're going to pass out or if the pain is too much to handle, all right?" Edward inquires.

"Got it man."

Edward takes a sharpie and draws the design that he and Jake have discussed on his leg. All the while explaining which way he plans to cut and how long it should take. I think I drift off into another world as he talks, but I need to stay coherent, because Jake, being Jake, wants me to take pictures. Of course, make me, the squeamish one, take pictures. What's he going to do? Show his grandkids or something? The thought makes me giggle.

"What are you giggling about, Bella baby?" Edward asks, while smiling at me.

"I was just thinking about Jake showing these scarification pics to his grandkids one day. I can almost see the look on those kids faces. Just wow," I explain. "Anyway, let's get this started already, before I lose my nerve."

Once the scalpel touches Jake's skin, that's the last coherent thing I remember.

It was as if I was having an out of body experience. I manage to stay awake and conscious, but completely out of it. What Edward is doing, both fascinates me and scares me at the same time. The fact that my boyfriend is making designs in Jake's flesh is too much to think about. Jake squeezes my hand so hard; I think he may have broken something.

"All right dude, all done. Baby, can you get me the gauze and crap to tape Jake's leg up, please?"

"Sure Edward, sure. Ummm Jake, I kinda need my hand though to go get the stuff," I whisper to Jake, who looks pale. His normal dark skin is white as a ghost. "We'll get you home and in bed soon, soon Jakey. I promise."

~IoI~

Getting Jake all wrapped up in bandages and to the car is quite easy. Getting him up the stairs to his apartment is quite another matter. Edward is behind him and I'm in front. Dear Lord, I'm so glad Edward is here to help me.

"Jake, just a couple more steps, then you can sleep on the couch if you want," I cajole him, trying to get him to move up the stairs. "Bree will be here later. I already talked to her. She's gonna come take care of you."

"Mmmmkkkkkaaayyy, Belly," he mumbles, as Edward snickers, earning him a bitch brow from me. _Damn man, this is not the time or the place._

We get Jake settled on the couch, and I head in the direction of my room. I turn to see Edward standing there hands in his pockets, looking at me.

"What? Aren't you coming? I told you I want to sleep with you tonight. I need your arms around me baby, please?" I whine.

"Oh thank fuck. I didn't want to assume anything," Edward utters as he breaks the distance between us and puts his arms around me.

We get ready for bed separately. I'm not sure if I'm ready for him to see me naked just yet, so I have a sleep shirt and a pair of boxers on. Sue me; it's what I like to sleep in.

As I get into bed, Edward raises a disapproving eyebrow at my choice in sleepwear.

"What? These are _my_ boxers, I bought them. They're not anyone's leftovers, I promise."

Edward blows out a breath, "Thank God, because I thought I was going to have to kill someone tonight. I'll tell you what, you can have a pair or three of mine and wear those if you'd like," Edward teases me, with a gleam in his eye.

"Deal. That does sound good. It'll be like sleeping with you every night," I muse.

"Come here you," he says, as he pulls me close and wraps his arms around me. "You know, every day I say a thank you for being in my life. You put up with my shit, put me in my place and I never say thank you. Thanks baby, thank you for wanting to be with me."

"Always Edward, always baby." I yawn as I kiss him goodnight.

**~IoI~**

Leigh & Mariuxita do you still dislike her? I know she gave him an attitude, but they compromised. =D

Thanks again to my Betas and pre-readers, and many, many thanks to all of you who have reviewed, alerted and favorited my story.

xoxo,

T


	13. Chapter 13

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

The next few weeks, Edward is amazing; so attentive and loving. Physically, we were getting closer, groping over our clothes and making out like teenagers. Well, I am a teenager, and I'm sure he feels like one.

I have never been one to take sex lightly, but somehow this feels different. I know Edward is older and probably has way more experience that I care to think about, but I want to do more with him. I just don't know how to approach him about it.

"You have this dreamy look on your face again, B. Are you thinking about Edward naked again?" Lauren inquires, as I feel my face turn pink from embarrassment.

"What else does she think about?" Jess teases, "I mean it's always all about Edward."

"Oh yeah, bitches like I haven't heard enough about Royce," I comment, as I look at Lauren, who smiles, "and the _oh God, Jasper_ from you, Jessica. So don't give me this _Edward_ shit," I quip.

Both of them are full on laughing at me. Well shit, I guess I should mention my dilemma, since I sure as hell can't talk about it with Jake. Besides, he's been all moody lately. He must be fighting with Bree, yet again.

"Well, since you mention it, I want to take our relationship a step further. But, before either of you scream sex, I'm not talking _sex_," I'm quick to comment.

"Okay, we figured that much. Both of the boys said Edward has seemed somewhat frustrated lately," Lauren admits. "Royce says lately he's been really moody and short with everyone."

"Great, so now not only is he not getting laid, he's also bitchy and moody with his co-workers. He's been great to me though, I don't understand," I surmise.

"Talk to him. B. Tell him what you want and what you're ready for. If you want a grown-up relationship you're going to have to talk," Jess interjects.

"Fine, I'm texting him now."

_Hey - r u busy? -B_

_Never busy when it comes to u, what's up? -E_

_I wanted to see if I could come by and we could maybe talk? - B_

_Talk? Should I be scared? - E_

_No, don't think so, it's all good. - B_

_Sure, just let me tie up a couple loose ends, 30 minutes? - E_

_Sure, c u then. - B_

"Okay, whores, he has something he needs to finish, so I'm going over there in thirty. Is that good?" I inquire as they both nod. "Okay well, I'm going to leave in a few; I want to call Jake on my way to the shop."

"Love you, B," Jess says, with a smile as she walks into the bathroom..

"Yeah love you, too. Have fun on your date with Jazz tonight," I say, as Lauren laughs.

"What?"

"Her, she's so head over heels for that boy and I swear he's the same way about her," Lauren beams, "I've never seen Jess so taken with a guy before."

"Yeah, she deserves to be happy as do you. How's Royce anyway?" I ask, as I gather my things.

"Dreamy, I think I'm in love," Lauren blurts.

"Wow, didn't see that one coming," I confess to her. "Do you think Jess feels the same about Jasper?" I question, as she nods her head approvingly.

Wow, I feel as though both my girls have left me in the dust. I know I care about Edward, but love? I have no idea if I love him, hell I don't even know how he feels about me.

"Okay guys, I gotta go." I knew I needed to go before I end up all emo on them both.

~IoI~

"Hello?"

"Jake, Jake I need you. I need to talk to you. I need help, Jake," I bawl, as I feel the tears fall down my face.

"Belly Boo, baby what's wrong? Why are you crying? Did Cullen hurt you? Did he say something? What did Emily do? Where are you?" Jake questions me rapidly.

"Emily? Jake, why would Emily have anything to do with Edward? I thought he explained to her that he is serious with me now?" I inquire.

"He did, sweetness. I just thought maybe she said some smart ass shit that upset you, that's all. She isn't trying to get all over his cock anymore, don't worry. Now tell me, what's wrong? Where are you?"

"I'm on my way to met Edward, it's ummm, yeah, ummmm, kind-umm personal, ummm thing," I mumble to him.

"Bella? What are you trying to say?"

I take a deep breath before I speak, "I want to move forward with Edward, though I'm not sure how to go about telling him. Then Jess and Lauren both said they are in love with Royce and Jasper. It got me wondering if I'm in love with Edward and if he loves me? Could he ever love me? What if he doesn't love me? What if I'm just a plaything to him? What if he gets bored because we haven't had sex yet," I babble.

"B, slow down. First of all, I don't want to hear about your sex life, gross. Second, Cullen adores you, and if he only wanted you for sex, I would've kicked his ass and he wouldn't have stuck around this long without any. Calm down, sweetness," Jake reassures me. "Talk to him, tell him how you feel, okay?"

"Okay, you're right. I'm getting worked up over nothing," I agree. "Sorry, Jake, I freaked over nothing. I'm at the shop now, so I'm going to go and talk to him. I promise I'll talk to him."

Getting out of my car, I notice Emily's car. Fucking great. I don't feel like dealing with her moody ass, I think to myself, as I wipe the last of the tears from my eyes.

I don't even make it to the door, before Edward is rushing out and taking me in his arms.

"Baby, what's wrong? Did someone upset you? Did Jake hurt your feelings, or did that douche Riley do something?" he questions.

"No, I'm fine. I actually was just talking to Jake and he asked me the same thing about you. You both are so protective of me, it's unreal sometimes. I just needed to see you. Lauren and Jess mentioned they heard you've been grouchy lately. I wanted to make sure it has nothing to do with me, but I also wanted to talk to you about something," I whisper.

This makes Edward smile that lopsided grin I love so much. "Something?" he whispers back, "what might _something_ entail, B?"

This is the moment Emily decides to waltz by us, making her presence known. I think I truly hate her.

"Edward," she mumbles almost incoherently, "I'm leaving, see you later this week?" she asks him, while throwing daggers in my direction. I stiffen against Edward. I'm about to move to say something to her, but he stops me before I even get a chance.

"Em, I told you no more. I can't do it anymore. Now, go before I remove you. I mean it, just fucking go," he screams. Now I'm confused as hell. I have no idea what the hell just happened. She walks away with a snide look on her face.

"What the fuck was that about, Edward?" I snap at him, while watching her walk to her car.

"Nothing B, I promise, nothing," he stammers, as he looks at the ground.

"Edward, that wasn't fucking nothing," I argue, "don't treat me like a child. Be honest with me. I'm your girlfriend, at least be honest with me. You're fucking her, aren't you? I won't sleep with you, so you fuck her behind my back," I accuse him, as the tears flow down my face.

"No, B, it's nothing like that. God I promise. She's nothing to me, nothing. I haven't slept with her since before I met you. I swear to God, and I'll swear on your mother's grave. I haven't cheated on you, B, I promise," he cries.

"I don't know, Edward. I want to believe you, really I do, but she's always here and she looks at me like she has some secret about you. You tell me Edward, what would you think if this was reversed? Huh? Tell me, Edward! You would think the same fucking thing. If that was Riley doing that shit, you would be all over his ass, ready to put him in a body cast."

Edward whispers really low in my ear, while gripping my elbow, "Fucking right I would, B. You belong to _me_ and no other mother fucker is _ever_ going to touch you again! Ever," he growls.

"Fuck you, Edward Cullen. Don't you give me that fucking shit. Don't you fucking tell me you own me after that fucking cunt walks by and says some shit to you while I'm standing here. Just fuck you, I'm outta here. Just leave me the fuck alone for good," I cry.

I practically run to my car, wanting to get out of here before he can catch up with me. Tears are flowing down my face. I can barely see straight. I'm so stupid, so stupid. After all the shit that Riley did to me, I swore I'd never let it happen again ... _and yet, here I am. _

"Stupid, stupid, stupid Bella," I mutter to myself, as I'm backing out of the space, trying to see through the tears in my eyes.

"Bella!"

"Bella!"

I look in my rearview mirror, and see Edward on his knees, crying and yelling for me.

Nope, it's not going to work, I tell myself as I keep driving. He instantly starts calling me, so I turn my phone off. I refuse to talk to him. I've got nothing to say. I don't want to talk to anyone, so I drive to Jake's. No one will bother me there and Jake should be at work. I don't want to bother Lauren or Jess with my problems tonight; they should be able to enjoy their night out.

I let myself into the apartment which is dark inside. Good; this means Jake's gone for the night. I make my way to my room to take a shower and fall into bed. I turn my phone on long enough to text Charlie and let him know I'm staying at Lauren's. I then text Lauren to ask if she will cover for me. I don't even wait for her answer before I turn my phone back off; I know she will and I don't want to talk to anyone.

I take the hottest shower possible, grateful I have everything I need here. Since I'm officially moving in here in a couple months, I have a ton of personal things here already. Charlie's never noticed, and Jake doesn't care. As I fall into bed, a fresh set of tears fill my eyes. I'm so upset and I feel so stupid. How could I not have seen this coming?

I feel as though my life is over.

Eventually, I fall asleep, because I'm shocked awake to someone knocking on the front door and then someone opening said door. I know Jake isn't coming home; he's at work, so I'm freaking out thinking someone is breaking into the apartment. Since Jake works crazy hours and isn't in the best of areas, I keep a handgun under my mattress – per Jake's request. It's loaded and I know how to use it.

Slowly and as quietly as possible, I sit up in the bed. With no lights on, my eyes adjust to the dark and I point the gun at my bedroom door. As the door opens, I cock the gun ready to shoot the intruder, when I hear him.

"B? B, it's me, baby. Please, B, tell me you're here. Jake said you would be here. Lauren said you sent her a text about covering for you. Please God, B, please be here alone," Edward then whispers. I don't know if that last part was more to himself or to me.

"What do you want? I told you to leave me alone. Why are you here? Haven't you caused enough damage?" I hiss, my adrenaline pumping.

"Bella, please let me explain, please. I haven't been sleeping with Emily, I promise," he stammers.

"Then explain to me what she meant. Explain to me why she's always around and never seems to leave us the fuck alone? Explain to me why my boyfriend lets her come around like she does, fucking explain it to me, Edward? You have ten seconds and then I'm calling the police and telling them I shot an intruder."

I hear him hesitate for a second. He then whispers ever so low, "Bella, she's my dealer, that's why she's always around; because she's my fucking dealer."

**~IoI~**

Hate me? Well, now you know about Emily, more answers coming soon.

Thanks again to my Betas and pre-readers, and many, many thanks to all of you who have reviewed, alerted and favorited my story.

Also, thank you for the notes, thoughts and prayers for my family.

xoxo,

T


	14. Chapter 14

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

Surely I didn't hear him right. Did I?

"Dealer," I croak, "dealer? What kind of dealer, Edward?"

"My drug dealer, B. What the fuck do you think, my car dealer?" he hisses.

"Don't fucking get pissy with me. You wake me up in the middle of the night after a huge fight, and tell me Emily is your fucking drug dealer. Give me a minute, okay? This is a lot to take in all at once," I yell. I pause, trying to calm myself down. I look him over, realizing he looks like shit. "When did you last use?" I ask in a somewhat calmer tone.

"Almost two weeks ago, I swear. That's why I've been so moody. Bella, I want to be better for you. I want you to be proud of me," he whines.

"Proud of you? Proud of you?" I scream, forgetting I was trying to calm down. "Edward, I went to bat for you time and time again in front of my friends, Riley, and even to Jake." Realization hits me right then; the cryptic conversation he had with Jake about Emily. "Jake fucking knew, didn't he? He fucking knew and he never said a word. That's why he didn't want me to date you; that's why he stopped seeing Emily?" I rage.

"B, I promised Jake I would never be high around you. And I never was, I swear to God, ever. It's just an easy thing to do to make the pain go away. But these last couple of months with you have been great; the best of my life," he cries to me.

"THE BEST Edward? The best? Really, if they have been the best, then why did you keep that bitch around? Why the fuck when I asked why you kept her around, did you skate around it or just fucking say nothing? Why?" I shriek. "I need to know, because I don't understand this. If I'm the _best_, then why keep the fucking worst around you? Why didn't you tell me? Why? It's not like you didn't have plenty of opportunities," I yell.

"That's the thing, B, I never used when I knew I would see you. I kept that shit separate; that's why Emily was always around. I had no fucking clue how to tell you. I mean, that's not something you bring up over dinner conversation, and it's not like I even knew how to begin to tell you. Please, B, don't hate me. I'm sorry. A few weeks ago Jake gave me an ultimatum; either I stopped using or he was going to tell you."

"So what you're telling me is, if my best friend hadn't given you that ultimatum you would still be using with that bitch? Get out, Edward. Get the fuck out of my house. I don't ever want to see you again. You disgust me. I can't do this. I can't be with someone who can't be honest with me. If you can't trust me, then we don't have a relationship.

"Go back to that bitch and have a nice life. It's no wonder Tanya only let's Emma come around once in awhile. Does Tanya even know about this shit?" I shook my head. "You know what? I don't fucking care, just fucking go," I scream, as tears roll down my cheeks. I'm devastated, completely devastated.

"B, please, baby, no. Please give me another chance," he cries, as I push him with all my strength out the door.

"No, Edward, I can't do this. I just can't."

I slam the door and lock it on him. Shit, I didn't think about getting the key from him. Fuck it; I don't think he has enough balls to come back in.

I'm so angry, I can't even think straight.

Jake.

He knew.

Fucker.

I pulled out my phone and texted my soon to be ex-friend.

_You knew! - B_

_He told you? - J_

_Don't act all innocent with me, fuckface. U knew about this shit and didn't tell me. I thought we were friends. - B_

_B, don't be like this, he's been trying to quit for awhile. - J_

_I don't give a fuck! DRUGS! Really, Jake? -B_

_B, I knew the first time you looked at him you were hooked. No going back ever. Don't hate him. Hate me for not telling you. -J_

_It's okay, I hate you both. -B_

I didn't hear another word from Jake after that; not that I care any way. I took another shower and got into bed, yet again. I looked over at the clock. Damn, three A.M.. There's no way I'm going to school tomorrow. I shoot Lauren a quick text.

_Heads up, I don't think I'm going to make it to school tmrw. -B_

_Good night then with C? - L_

_Most fucked up night ever. Will explain later. -B_

Now for sleep; I can explain all of the shit tomorrow, while drowning my sorrows.

~IoI~

I wake in the morning, next to a warm body. My body stiffs in fear, because I don't know who it is. I roll over and realize it's Edward. Fuck my life. I need to get out of here before he wakes up and wants to talk.

Quietly, I ease out of bed, trying not to jar anything or him in the process. I look over at him and realize he looks like death warmed over. My heart breaks for him; I want to put my arms around him and tell him it'll be okay, but I can't, I just can't. He lied to me; well omitted some truths, and after all of the shit he gave me about Riley being a liar, and what he did to me. How's what he just did any different? I was still deceived.

Since, I'm not going to school today, I can't go home, nor can I stay here with Edward, I need to find somewhere to go. I need to get out of here and clear my head. I need to think with no outside distractions. I decide to go to the one place I can clear my mind and really think about what I want; the Japanese Gardens.

I send Jessica and Lauren a quick text letting them know where I'm going, with strict instructions not to tell anyone. They know this is code for 'I'm having a bad day, and need time alone.'

I don't bother with a shower. Hell, I had two last night, so I'm sure I'm clean. I throw my hair in a messy ponytail and pull on some sweats. It's March, and only in the fifties, so I want to be comfortable.

Looking back at the sleeping figure in my bed, I realize that I'm falling in love with him. This is going to be harder than I thought to walk out on him and our relationship. When he stirs suddenly, I bolt for the door. I hear a faint _Bella,_ as I close the door behind me.

~IoI~

Pulling into the Japanese Gardens, I find a space right up front. Of course, who in their right mind wants to be out here on a cold day?

Me, that's who; the girl who feels the need to reflect on her life. I always come here when life is too hard for me to deal with. Charlie used to bring me here after my mom passed. I would sit here for hours talking to her. I never cared much for the cemetery and Charlie always said I could talk to her wherever I was. This was the one place I always felt comfortable talking to her.

I don't talk out loud to her anymore; I haven't done that in years. Now, I talk to her in my mind, hoping she can still hear me. I want to tell her about Edward; about all of the shit I found out, about how much I like him. And mostly how I think I love him, but I don't know if I should stick with him. I've never been around anyone that's done drugs; I don't know what all it entails. I don't know the side effects or what kind of problems we will face. That all frightens me.

I know I hit close to home last night bringing up Emma, but Tanya and I have actually been get along okay, considering the circumstances. I've slowly started to like her. We've been talking for about a month now, once she realized Edward really liked me and wanted something more with me. She doesn't like Emily either, and now I understand why. I feel as though I wasn't the only one in the dark about the whole situation.

This sucks, truly sucks; being the last person to know. As the tears flow down my face, I reflect on the pros and cons of mine and Edward's relationship. He can be sweet when he wants to be; he opens my door for me, says sweet things and always compliments me. His possessiveness is a complete turn on, though I'll never tell him that. But then, when he gets demanding, it pisses me the hell off.

We have such good chemistry and get along well, despite our age difference, but then there's the whole Emily situation. This whole drug situation. How could he be like _that _and me not know about it? It explains a lot though; the late nights, the mornings when he was just going to bed, the irritability.

I want to smack myself. It was right there in front of my face and I never saw it. I feel like a complete fool. As much as I love him, I don't know if I can be with him, I truly don't. This sucks. I hate being in limbo. I sit there and think for a while, weighing my options. I decide I'm going to tell him it's over for good.

Tears start to pool in my eyes. God, I'm going to miss him so fucking much.

Lost in my own thoughts, I don't realize someone has come to sit next to me, until I hear my name being whispered.

"Bella."

I look over and there's Edward with tears in his eyes, looking at me.

"Bella, baby, I'm sorry, so sorry. Please forgive me," he cries, moving to so he can hug me. I go willingly into his open arms; I can't help it. I want to tell him no, my brain says no, I want to push him away, but my heart says yes.

My heart loves him.

"Edward what are you doing here? How did you know where I was?"

"Lauren sent me a text and told me you needed me. She said she knew we must have had a fight if you were here, and that you only come here when something's on your heart and you need to think. Bella, I'll do whatever you want me to do; rehab, counseling, restraining order against Emily, anything. Please don't leave me, B. We belong together. You belong with me always," he begs.

I want to be angry with Lauren; she knows this is my most private place to be by myself. That is, until I hear him utter the words, those words.

"_I love you, Bella."_

**~IoI~**

Do you guys still love me?

Thanks again to my Betas and pre-readers, and many, many thanks to all of you who have reviewed, alerted and favorited my story.

Next update will be next week, though I'll give you a teaser on Monday.

xoxo,

T


	15. Chapter 15

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

**~~IoI~~**

"You love me?" I stammer. "Edwa-"

"Please, don't say anything, B. I don't want you to say anything. I didn't say it to hear it back from you. I want you to know how I feel, that's all. I've been such a tool about things, and I want to move forward. I want things to be good with us, and the best way to start that is to be honest with you. So by being honest, I needed to tell you how I feel."

I stare at him. I speechless; he loves me? After all of this time and with all of the shit he's put me through and he _loves_ me? As I think about his feelings, I realize I don't know how I feel. What I thought I felt is now all jumbled.

"Edward," I say slowly, "honestly I don't know what I feel right now. I'm so pissed at you. Yet, I want to punch you and hug you at the same time. I'm also scared for you when it comes to the drugs and I'm really scared about what this means for us. Yet at the same time, I care so much for you it hurts me inside."

He nods in understanding, tears welling in his eyes.

"I just need some time, Edward. I don't know what I want yet. I need to think. I'm not saying I don't want to be around you or with you; I just need sometime for all of this to sink in. I will say this, if we are going to move forward, Emily has to go. I'm not one to make ultimatums, but I can't deal with her any longer. I don't want her near the shop or you. She's a deal breaker for me.

As for the drugs, well I don't like them either. I worry for you and your wellbeing. But, believe it or not, I can handle them better than her. Her being around isn't going to help you quit if that's what you want to be doing," I explain.

"Okay," he whispers as he moves closer, pulling me into his arms. I feel myself stiffen, but then the familiar comfort of being in his arms consumes me and I melt. I know I care deeply for him, and I know I can't turn back time and change the current situation, but there's no going back for me. I just don't know if I want to share this with him yet. I feel as though I need to keep my guard up still.

"Let's get out of here, B. I know that Lauren and Jess are worried about you." He pauses and places his hand on my cheek. "Know I'll go anywhere or do anything you want to be able to keep you as mine. Please, B, please give me that chance."

~IoI~

We go back to Jake's place since school is still in session, and I don't need any grief over being out a day. As we sit on the couch, I look over at him. "Edward, can I ask what your drug of choice is? If we are doing the open communication thing, I would like to know," I inquire shyly. I don't want to push his buttons, but I do want to know.

"Coke," he says, as he balls his hands into tight fists. "Just coke. It started out as an occasional thing. When Tanya left and took Emma, my world was over; I was crushed. Everything I loved was taken away from me in one swoop. Back then, Tanya and I weren't as civil as we are now. I met Emily one night when I was out with the guys; she seemed harmless. I was heartbroken over Tanya leaving and Emily filled that void. We hung out and hooked up a few times. A couple months after Tanya left, she and I had a big fight. I wanted to see Emma and she wouldn't budge, and I was pissed. I called Emily and told her I just wanted to forget everything. That was the first time I ever used. Emily had some coke on her and offered it to me. She said it would make me feel better. I tried it and that was it, I was hooked. It made me forget all of my problems when I it was high. That feeling of floating and not having a care in the world, B, it's indescribable," he explained.

I'm speechless. I had no idea Emily had been around so long, or of the past they had.

"That's how long you've been using? How much and how often? Every day? Every other day? Does Tanya even know? Have you slept with Emily since we've been together?" I spit out all of my questions at once, gasping, as tears run down my face.

"No, B, never. I haven't touched her in months. I promise. I've told you that already. Back when I first started using, and Jasper and Royce found out about the coke, they kicked my ass and I stopped using every day for a while. It then was just a once every other day or every few days. Then when my stress level would get to be too much, I'd start using a little more to cope to where I was almost using daily. Then, when you came along, and I was beyond happy, I stopped using almost completely. Which you can imagine angered Emily. That's why she's always such a bitch to you, and I just couldn't deal with it at the time. I was all over the place, unsure what I wanted to do, but once I knew for sure that you were it for me, I started cutting back even more than I had before. That's why she was at the shop when you showed up yesterday. We were arguing and I told her I was done with all of it; her, the coke and any lifestyle that involved drugs. And Tanya, well she has her suspicions, but nothing concrete. And like you, I've never used around Emma. I would never put my child in that kind of danger, ever. I don't want to be that person anymore, B. You make me want to be a better person."

"But Edward, how the fuck would you know what you've done if you were as high as a kite and she was there providing an easy fuck? How would you know it was her? What if you thought it was me? Damn it, Edward, this sucks, I want to hate you, my whole being wants to hate you," I cry, wiping the tears from my cheeks.

"Please, baby, don't hate me, please. I promise I haven't slept with her. I know I haven't. I swear on all that's holy, Bella. Please believe me."

"I'll try, but no promises, Edward. You kept things from me. By never telling me why she was always around, you were lying to me. I feel so stupid, and I'm just _so_ angry."

"Bella, I understand you're angry with me, I get that. I just never wanted you to be disappointed in me or with me. I wasn't good enough for Tanya or her family; I didn't want you to feel the same. I'll do whatever you need me to do to make you forgive me and trust me completely."

"I don't know Edward, I just don't know," I whisper, sniffling as the tears continue to flow. I hear a key in the door, rattling me from my thoughts. "Lauren and Jess are here," I whisper, as I look up at Edward, "I'm not saying a word about your situation; it's not my place, but be prepared for them to both bitch you out for hurting me. Just a warning."

He nods and just as I suspect, they both come in barrels blazing and pissed.

"Edward Fucking Cullen, who the fuck do you think you are?" Lauren snarls. "Royce told me you were a good guy and could be trusted. Yet, all I've seen is the hurt you've caused my best friend."

As Lauren continues bitching Edward out, Jess comes and sits next to me. She pulls me into a tight hug. Knowing them both as well as I do, neither will ask what happened until I'm ready to talk, but until then they will comfort and defend. Once they have the facts, they will make their own judgment calls on what they think of the situation.

"Lauren," I say, butting in to her verbal assault on Edward. "I'm fine. Everything's okay. We were talking and now Edward is leaving," I say, giving him a pointed look, with no room to argue. "Edward, I'll talk to you later. Think about what we talked about and let me know what you're going to do, okay?"

"Sure," he responds, heading for the door. I'm sure he wants to get the hell out of dodge as fast as he can and appreciates me giving him the out.

"Edward, wait up. I'll walk you out," I turn to look at both of my friends, "I'll be right back. Be good while I'm gone."

"Fine, but if you come in crying again, I castrating him," Lauren quips loud enough for Edward to hear her. "I don't care how much you like him, B."

I nod as I walk toward the door. Edward looks pale, as he should. Lauren's not kidding about the castrating part.

Once we are out of the door, I turn and look at Edward. "Hey, I'll talk to them okay? I'm not going to tell them your deep, dark secrets. That's not me, not who I am," I tell him. "Even if Lauren is pissed at me for forgiving you, I'll take it like a champ. You and I," I wave my finger between us, "we have some serious talking to do, but before we do, I want you to decide what _you, _Edward Cullen, wants. This is your life and I can't make those decisions for you, nor can you make them based on me. What if I'm not always here?"

"B, you'll always be mine, always. I can't let you go," he growls at me. "And I don't plan on letting you go anywhere without me."

"Well, we'll see about that. Right now, I have to go explain to my two best friends why my boyfriend is not a douche and does care about me."

He smiles at the word boyfriend.

"Always, Bella. I do care. I'm sorry I almost ruined everything with being such an ass. Please forgive me. I'll work hard at this. Emily is as good as gone. Royce and Jasper will be happy with that as well. They can't stand her and keep wondering why I still let her come around, since I have you in my life. They know I did coke way back when, but recently, I've kinda hid it from everyone, them included," he says sheepishly.

I shake my head, feeling completely overwhelmed. "Let me sleep on this all, Edward. I just need to process all of the information and talk to Jake since he knows about everything. Once I'm done working through it all with him, I _may_ have to kill him for keeping this from me." I pause and take a deep breath. "I'll call you later okay?"

"Okay. Can I still kiss you goodbye?"

"Of course," I say to him, as he bends down and kisses me chastely. I'm disappointed he didn't deepen it, but considering the current situation, it's probably better.

Edward gets into his car, as I turn and walk back into the apartment. As he drives off I whisper to myself, "I love you too, Edward."

****~IoI~****

**So Bella's trying, she loves him and she wants what's best for him as well. She'll walk away if she needs to in order for him to get better. I hope this answers some questions and no worries we won't be dwelling on his addiction or them arguing about it for long. Decisions will be made, and made soon.**

**Thanks again to my Betas SunsetWing and Shadowed By Passion, my pre-readers C MyBabyblues, shenaniwhatagans, and Eternally Edward's Girl. They make everything so much prettier.**

**As always thank you all for reading and reviewing.**

**Rec from me that owns me Salacious by cutestkidsmom**

**http(:) s/8745367/1/**

**In a world where money is power, and power is everything, Edward must stay true to the society he was raised in to, and stay true to its values. Laid back Bella is the object of his affection, and he will stop at nothing to have her, What is your life worth? Would you hand it over to a beautiful stranger for money? M for language, sexual content, and some violent situations AH**

**xoxo,**

**T**


	16. Chapter 16

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

I walk back into the apartment, ready for the firing squad, which is are my best friends. I have no idea what I'm going to say, but I know it's not my place to tell them about Edward's problem.

"Isabella Marie Swan, what the hell is going on?" Lauren snaps at me. I then realize I have new tears in my eyes. "What the _fuck_ did he do now?" she screams.

"Nothing, he didn't do anything. I'm just having a bad day. Edward and I talked a lot today; about us, about Emily and our relationship," I reason, "I'm just really tired, but I know you guys want answers, so fire away. I'll answer the best I can."

"What's the deal with Emily? Is he still sleeping with her? Is he cheating on you?" Jess asks.

"No, he's not sleeping with her." I pause and think about how I want to go about sharing this. "They are, they are, I don't know how to explain it, I guess they are friends, but not really. That's all I'll I can tell you about the two of them. It's not really my place to tell you what's going on with him and Emily. All I know is she's gone, and won't be around anymore. That was Edward's decision and one I obviously agree completely with. If she does come back around I'm gone for good."

"Wow, it must be bad if you won't even tell us," whispers Lauren.

"You don't even know the half of it," I explain, as I wipe the remaining tears from my eyes. "And to top it all off, in the midst of all of this, he admitted he loves me. As happy as that makes me, and even though I know I love him, I don't know if I want him to know yet. I'm just not ready to tell him. I need to see how things work out first, before I express all of my feelings to him. Edward and I have some serious conversations ahead, and I want to have a clear head when we have them. I'm scared if he knows my true feelings, he will use them to his advantage, whether he means to or not."

I feel bad for not sharing more with them, since they are like sisters to me, but I want to see what happens with Edward before I share more. I don't plan on leaving him, as long as he gets the help he needs. Hopefully he will end up in rehab or getting counseling. When that happens, I will need them to support me through the time he's away. If he opts to not get help, well then I will have no reason to share his business, because we won't be together.

"B, we love you and we'll always love you. We're here if you need us, okay?" Jessica confirms as she stands up and comes to hug me.

"I know, and I love you guys, too. I just want Edward to have a fair chance and not have to face the firing squad and me all in the same day."

Lauren giggles, "I'm sure my threatening to castrate him didn't help either."

"Well, you were only protecting me. So, I'm cool with that. I just need to think about some things and talk to Jake. So if you guys are good, I'm going to go take a nap. It's been a long twenty-four hours, or almost twenty-four hours. You guys can hang here until Jake comes if you want, but I'm gonna go crash in bed," I yawn.

"B, go and rest. We're good and we'll lock up on our way out," Lauren notes.

I climb into my bed and I can hear them whispering from the other room. I'm sure they are trying to figure out what's going on with me. But, I can't tell them. I promised Edward I wouldn't tell them and I don't break my promises. As my head hits the pillow, I inhale Edward's scent. It's so manly; outdoorsy yet spicy.

I lay on the side he slept on, so I can relax and feel closer to him. I don't want to think about anything from the last twenty-four hours. I need to sleep and find some peace. My last conscious thought is of Edward holding me, telling me everything is going to be okay.

~IoI~

I'm startled awake by Jake calling my name, "Bella, Bella, are you here? Bella!"

I groan. I'm not ready to get up just yet, but I know I've got to have this conversation as well. Fuck.

"In here, Jake," I moan as I try to sit up. I'm groggy from my nap, but I need to get up. Jake and I have a serious conversation to have, and I know Charlie is going to expect me home tonight.

"B, so what's going on that Jess and Lauren are calling me, Edward's all in a panic and I find you here sleeping like nothing's wrong?" Jake asks me as he pushes the door open.

"You son of a bitch," I'm apparently awake now that I see him and I remember all of my anger, "you fucking knew about Emily and Edward's extra-curricular activities and never once said shit to me about it. What the fuck, Jake? Seriously? I thought we were closer than that?" I scream.

"He promised me he never used around you, B. I believed him. If I had thought for a second he would have put you in any danger, I would've said something," he surmisedsays.

"What the fuck, Jake? You just took his word? You son of a bitch! I can't believe you. You are like a brother to me, hell I'm supposed to move in here with you, and you just fucking left me in the dark. Jake, that's so not cool. What if he had been high and hurt me? What if he had been high and got arrested? What if anything, Jake? First of all, I hate drugs of any kind, you know this. Second of all, my dad is a fucking lawyer," I scream.

"Bella," Jakes whispers, "I would have never put you in a situation that I would have thought could have caused you danger. He begged me not to tell you, B, literally begged me. I couldn't betray him."

"So you betray me instead? You not fucking telling me was betraying me, Jake. I'm sorry, but to me that's an important detail. Is this why you stopped seeing her? You were so cryptic when you talked to Edward about Emily. Now things make so much more sense to me. I always wondered why she was around all the time when I wasn't there. His erratic behavior, his sudden mood changes; it all makes sense now. Don't ever fucking do that shit to me again, Jacob Black, or I'll kick your ass. Do you hear me?" I yell.

"Yes, Bella. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he says as he pulls me into a hug. I could never stay mad at Jake for long. I love him; he means the world to me. We have always been so close and even though I am was really mad, I knew he and I would had to work through this.

"Okay, I gotta get home before Charlie sends out the cavalry looking for me," I joke.

"Yeah, and I really don't need to be on his bad side again. You have, what, three months before it's over? Speaking of, have you thought about how you're going to break it to Charlie you're moving in after graduation?"

"No, I'm still thinking about how to handle it, without causing a massive heart attack for him," I reply.

"All right, text me when you get home so I know you are safe," Jake demands.

"Yes_, dad,_ no problem," I scoff. I feel as though I let him off easy, but honestly, I know Jake. If he thought I was in any danger he would have said something.

~IoI~

My drive home is peaceful. I send my dad a quick text telling him I'm on my way. I know I'm expected to eat dinner with the family tonight, since I hadn't seen them last night.

Hopefully, dinner would will be low key. I have a ton of work to catch up on afterwards, since I didn't go to school today. Knowing Charlie, he will keep me at the table and ask how classes are going, and tell me again how sad he is about me graduating and leavingmoving on with my life. Even though I'm not going far, and I'll still get to see them, he still feels the need to mention how he will miss me once I'm out of high school. I'm hoping after graduation, on one of my trips home, I'll be able to introduce them to my boyfriend.

I pull into the garage and turn my car off. As I grab my book bag from the backseat, Charlie appears in the doorway.

"Hey Dad."

"Isabella, there's something I need to ask you."

"Sure dad, what is it?" I ask in the calmest voice I can manage, but on the inside I'm nervous. He must know I wasn't in school today. How am I going to explain this to him?

"Who's Edward Cullen, and why did Sam Uley see you with him today?"

Oh shit.

**~IoI~**

**Sorry for the delay, between the traveling, the holiday and now a sick child. It's been a rough week already.**

**So, are you guys happy with the way she handled everything? Thoughts?**

**Thanks again to my Betas and pre-readers, and many, many thanks to all of you who have reviewed, alerted and favorited my story.**

**xoxo,**

**T**


	17. Chapter 17

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

Oh shit.

"Edward Cullen?" I ask innocently. I have no idea how I'm going to explain this to my father. My father who wants me to be with Riley; my father who in his mind has my life planned out, and I can assure, it's not with a twenty-eight year old tattoo artist and father of one.

"Isabella, did I stutter? Yes, Edward Cullen," he spits angrily.

Well damn. I guess now is as good a time as any to tell him the truth.

"He's my boyfriend," I quickly whisper, letting my words flow together.

"Pardon me. I don't think I quite heard what you said," he hisses. "Tell me you _didn't_ say what I think you said, young lady."

"He's my boyfriend, Daddy. The person I've been dating; the person I spend my time with, the person I've fallen in love with," I cry as the tears start forming in my eyes. I know this isn't going to be good, hence the reason why I had yet to say anything to either Sue or my dad about him. I know they won't approve.

They will judge Edward by his outward appearance, and not for who he actually is on the inside. I know my parents. I love them, but they can be quite judgmental at times.

"Boyfriend? Boyfriend? I don't think so, Isabella. You are _not_ _dating _a man of that age. Not to mention he has a child, and is a tattoo whatever. He doesn't even have a real job."

I should have known my father knew who Edward was; his line of questioning was purely rhetorical. Asshole, I thought to myself as my dad continued yelling at me.

"Now Riley on the other hand, he has potential. His plans include pre-law and opening his own practice eventually. _That_ is boyfriend material, not this Edward person. I forbid you to see him again, do you understand me?" he questions me, daring me to deny him.

I've always gone with the flow, always dated whom he thought was appropriate, but not anymore. I'm an adult now; I don't have to listen to him.

"Dad, I'm dating Edward," I confirm. "Riley is no more, nor will he ever be again. I don't love Riley, nor do I want to date Riley. He doesn't even want to date me either; it's mutual to be apart."

"Isabella, you live in my house and as long as you do, you will live under my rules. Do you understand me?" he roars in anger.

It takes everything I have not to yell at my father in the moment. After all of the shit I've dealt with the last couple of days and now him, I can't take it. He acts all high and mighty; he acts like he owns me. I'm his daughter, not a piece of real estate or an employee he can boss around. I'm done.

"Dad, I'm eighteen. I have three months of school left, then I'm going to off to college. I'm not living here for college, I'm moving out, remember? I'd like to be able to visit, but let me tell you, if you make demands of me, I won't come back. I won't! I'm not dating Riley Biers, I'm dating Edward Cullen and I don't care if you like it or not. I'm more than certain that both Sue and you will turn your nose up at Edward, and your country club friends will frown upon him, as well, but I don't care. Is he going to be a lawyer like your precious Riley? No. Will he be joining you to play golf on Saturday mornings at the club? Doubtful. Does he make me happy? Yes. Why does he make me happy? Because _he_ is a good person with a good heart. Yes, he has had his share of crappy things in life, as we all have, but, Dad, it doesn't make him a bad person."

Charlie rolls his eyes at my emotion outburst of my feelings. Having ignored everything I just said, he continues with the same comment, "Isabella, you will tell this boy you are no longer allowed to see him, and this will be the end of it! If you defy me, I will revoke your inheritance upon graduation and you can figure out how to pay for college, your apartment and whatever the hell you plan to do with your life. This is not up for discussion! This is final. I will not be embarrassed or made a fool of. If I so happen as to hear you have been seen with him again, you'll get nothing. Is this clear?" he spits out in anger.

"Yes, sir," I whisper as tears flow down my face. I drop my head down in defeat. This is not fair at all. It is complete bull shit. My inheritance is my mother's money and it has nothing to do with my father. I know I can't leave Edward. He needs me; he's trying to get clean. I can't leave him now. I will have to find a way.

"Isabella," my father calls to me.

I slowly turn to him, not trusting my own voice to answer him at this moment. "Yes?" I say lowly.

"You are grounded until further notice. No Lauren's, no Jess'; no leaving the house. I will make sure Sue knows as well, in case I work late or am traveling. I will also track your mileage weekly, and will call the school periodically to make sure you are attending. So don't think you can see that boy without me knowing," he informs me.

Great, my own personal prison for three months. Thankfully, it's just three months.

I walk to my room, my mind racing with what to do.

How am I going to tell Edward? Maybe I'll just have to move in with Jake now and get a job.

~IoI~

"No, absolutely not."

"But-"

"No, Bella, not going to happen. Do you hear me? I'm not coming in between you and your father."

"But, Edward, I'm eighteen. I'm an adult. He can't tell me what to do. I'll get a job; I can pay for my own college. I don't need him," I say with as much confidence as I can muster.

"Isabella."

"Can everyone please stop calling me by my full name?" I yell, the anger I feel for my father still in the front of my mind.

"Bella, sweetheart, listen to me, Charlie's right, and before you yell at me, listen to me. It's only three months and we can still talk, text and e-mail. I will work it out where I can sneak to see you, I promise. Bella, your college will be paid for and you're going to be almost set for life if we take a bit of time apart. I don't want you to have any regrets later in life. There are no guarantees, baby. What if we don't work out and you gave up all of that to be with me?"

"But, Edward, I see you forever in my life," I snot sob into the phone. "This isn't fair, it just isn't fair. He wants his perfect golden boy, Riley, to date me, and you know that asshole is not so perfect," I say, as Edward growls into the phone.

Riley is still a sore subject between us. Even though I have nothing to do with him anymore, and Edward knows this, it is still a little touchy. But still, it sucks that my father feels that Riley is who I should date, marry and have children with, and to then throw it in my face all the time. Riley is not who I want; Edward is who I want, baggage and all. I need to tell him that, and I need to tell him I love him. Though if I do it now, he'll just think it's because of all of this shit.

"Fine, but I don't like it, you hear me, Edward Cullen?"

"Baby, this will give me a chance to get clean and sober, and not take my mood swings out on you. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to do meetings or a thirty day program. No matter which I pick, it will be hard on me and you don't need to suffer with that. The in-house rehab would probably be better for me, and then it would be only be a month or so before we can be together again. Bella, I need the chance to prove to you that I'm worthy of your love, please let me do this. You belong to me and I belong to you, and I need to do this for me, for you, for us," he confides.

"Edward, I do lo-"

"No, don't you say that now. I want to hear it when I can hold you and shower you with kisses. Please, Bella, please don't take that away from me, too."

"Okay," I whisper into the phone. "I probably need to go. I'm sure he is going to check my phone bill to see who I'm talking to, as well. When you decide what you are going to do, can you please make sure Jazz and Royce know everything, so Lauren or Jess can give me the details? I can send letters and emails, right?" My voice starts to crack and I pull in a shaky breath. "Oh God, Edward, I can't do this. I need you. Please don't leave me," I cry into the phone, hating myself that I'm so needy and wish I could be strong for him.

"Bella, baby it's okay," he coos, "we will work it out okay? I promise I'm not going anywhere. I love you and that's forever. Regardless of anything, I'll always love you. Once graduation is done and I'm out of rehab, think about me marking you. I want to tattoo you, Bella. Nothing would make me happier than to do that for you, if you want. Knowing that forever you will have my ink, my mark on you, whether we are together or not."

"Of course, I would love that. I'm sorry I'm so upset, I'm gonna miss you, and I feel like we take one step forward in our relationship and then fifteen back."

"I know, baby, I know. It'll all be over soon, I promise. Okay, baby, you go, get some sleep and I'll get you all the details as I get them, okay? I love you forever, sweet girl," he says so lowly I almost miss it.

"You too, Edward. Always."

~IoI~

I'm like a zombie at school the next day. Lauren and Jess know what's going on and are sympathetic. It kills me that I can't see Edward. I'm still so angry at my Dad, so angry.

So far, I have successfully avoided him since we had the whole '_talk_.' Probably not the most mature way I could act, but I can't bear to talk to him. I have nothing nice to say. Sue on the other hand, has been great. She can tell my heart is breaking and has taken pity on me.

On my way home from school, I get a text from Edward. He lets me know he is checking into a rehab center. He said he would email me the details shortly on the do's and don'ts. I know I can't go see him, but at least we will still be able to communicate.

God, this is going to be a long thirty days.

**~IoI~**

You guys have blown me away with your love for my story. I'm quite humbled by all of the attention, reviews, and chatter. Thank you so very much.

Thanks again to both of my Betas and pre-readers. Also, my one beta is about to have a baby any day now. I've got up to chapter eighteen back from her, so this may cause a slight delay in posting. I'll continue to write, send what I get done to the pre-readers and Beta #1. I'll still send her chapters but it all depends on Baby X.

Please have a safe but happy New Year!

xoxo,

T


	18. Chapter 18

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

**~~IoI~~**

The first week I'm apart from Edward drags by slowly. It sucks not being able to talk to him every day. Royce gave Lauren all of the details, thank God. I could write Edward and call him once a week. He couldn't have visitors, but Royce promised me that he would take my care packages and letters to the center. Edward could have those things dropped off, but before they would be given to him, the packages were searched. They want to make sure there isn't anything being delivered that would hinder his recovery.

Charlie and I still aren't on speaking terms. I'm angry and I know if I say anything, things will be worse than they already are, so I keep my words to myself. I do feel bad for Sue and the boys, having to deal with the tension in the house, so I have dinner with them the nights Charlie is out of town or working late. Out of everyone I know, I figure Sue to understand the most; being that that there is a big age difference between her and my dad. She started out as my nanny after my mom passed, so she has been around for a while, and I'm sure had to deal with people looking down on her for their age gap and the fact he had me.. They are not much different than Edward and I, except I'm not Emma's nanny and Tanya is still alive.

I really want to be alone most of the time, so I put all my focus on homework and writing letters to Edward. Charlie said I couldn't see him, but he never said anything about writing letters. Thank God for that, because this last month has been hell without Edward here.

_Edward,_

_I hope all is well with you. I'm good; I just miss seeing your smile. I'm caught up on all my school work and I even got my term paper done. God, I sound like such a geek, but since I'm grounded, there's nothing else for me to do._

_Charlie, true to his word, checks my mileage every day. One day, Sue had asked me to stop by the store, and he flipped his shit, accusing me of all kinds of things. That was until she told him she asked me. Then, they got into a nasty argument. I don't want my parents to argue. I felt bad, but later Sue told me not to worry; that Charlie would be okay. She said that he's worried about me. I don't understand why, but whatever._

_Enough about me, how are you? How's the treatment going? I know you can't tell me much, but I'm hoping you are doing better. _

_I can't wait until you call; I need to hear your voice. I'm trying to stay strong, and I know everything will be better once this is all said and done. I never got the chance to tell you before, but I am so proud of you._

_Yes, I know your reasons for being there are shitty, but the fact that you're going to rehab and getting clean speaks volumes._

_I talked to Tanya the other day. She called because she didn't understand why you were in rehab. I didn't tell her, since it is your information to tell her. I told her to talk to you. _

_After she asked about you, she asked about me. She asked me a bunch of questions, but it was obvious she was trying to feel me out. After all, I'm in your life and since I plan to stay in your life, she has to make sure I'm a good person for Emma._

_It was weird talking to her, but Tanya really isn't that bad of a person. I hope you will tell her about why you are in rehab. She should know. _

_Enough here, I'm going to go to sleep now. Being grounded is exhausting. I'm glad graduation is soon, as is prom. I've decided that I'm going to go with Jess and Lauren. We're going to make it a girl's night, seeing as we're sure the faculty at school will probably frown upon Royce and Jasper being there. Ha!_

_Okay, seriously, I'm going to bed. Talk soon!_

_Love and kisses, _

_Bella_

*IoI*

I give Lauren my letter for Edward. It sucks that I can't send it myself, but I don't trust Charlie not to take it from the mailbox; then it never would get there.

"Thanks, babe, I don't know what I would do without you and Jess," I whisper into her ear, as I give her a hug. Being grounded also means I can't see or talk to my girls nightly. It totally sucks.

"It's all good in the hood, Bella. You know you'd do the same for either of us," Lauren reminds me, giving me a sad smile.

"Anything, babe," Jess chimes in, as she takes my hand and pulls me into a hug. "Come on, let's get to class. We sure as hell don't need Charlie having a coronary thinking you're skipping class because we're late."

True.

As we walk to class, Jess is chattering on about prom and graduation. I nod in agreement with whatever Jess is talking about, as I'm lost in my own thoughts. I know that Edward should be out of rehab by graduation, and I know he won't miss me walking across that stage if he has anything to do with it. Knowing he should be there puts a smile on my face.

I half pay attention in class. My grades are good enough, that even if I'm out of it a bit, my GPA will not suffer. Which is good, because I don't need Charlie on my ass any more than he already is.

At the end of the day, I quickly walk to my car in my own bubble, knowing I've got to get home before Charlie calls to make sure I'm there. I want to stay under his radar and make these last few months painless, so when Riley calls out my name, I jump.

"Bella."

_Fuck._

"Hey Ry," I mutter, really not wanting to be social at all, and hoping I can get away fast. He doesn't say anything, so I decide to try and bow out of this awkward interaction. "Look, I'm not trying to be rude, but I'm grounded and need to get home before Charlie calls the house and I'm not there." I say as I start getting into my car. Riley stops me.

"Bella, I just want to talk for a few minutes, can't you spare that? Or will your _boyfriend_ get mad?"

"Riley, I'm grounded. Grounded, do you get that? Charlie wasn't happy when he found out I was seeing Edward, so I'm grounded until graduation. Now what the hell do you want from me? And make it quick." I say, getting more annoyed by the minute.

"I wanted to see how you're doing?"

"I'm fine, Riley, I'm fine. Now, I need to get home before Charlie calls wanting to know I am, and really, I don't have anything to say to you," I point out to him, as I get into my car. "I really need to get home, and no I don't have time for you. And you're right; Edward wouldn't like me talking to you. But, I'm my own person, so I can truthfully say; I don't want to talk to you either."

I start my car and close the car door, ignoring the look on Riley's face. I loved him once, truly I did, but now I feel nothing. My heart belongs to Edward, and right now, other than school and graduation, he's all I can focus on.

I feel my phone vibrate, before it rings out loud. It's Charlie; he's got his own ringtone. Perfect, I think, I'm sure he wants to know where I am and why I'm late.

"Hello?"

"Bella, where are you? Why aren't you home yet? Are you with that _boy_?" he spits.

"No, Dad, I'm not with Edward. Riley stopped me on the way out of school to chat. I explained to him that I needed to go, because I would be late and that you'd be calling me shortly," I explain, trying to be civil and not bratty, like I really want to be at this moment.

"Oh, well why didn't you call and let me know you were with Riley? I wouldn't have bothered you and you could've spent some time with him, if you wanted."

Really? My mind screams, really? This man is delusional.

"Dad, I have no desire to talk with Riley. I've told you, we are no longer together, and I have nothing to say to him. Besides, I need to get home and get my homework done. I've got a paper to work on and I promised I'd help Sue with the boys tonight," I tell my father calmly.

"Oh, okay. Well, I guess I'll see you later then. I'm working late."

"Sure, Dad, see you later."

*IoI*

After helping Sue with dinner and bathing of the boys, I decide that since all of my homework is done, I should check my e-mail. I have one from Tanya, which scares me. I have no idea what she's going to say. We were cordial to one another before Edward went into rehab and before I knew what was going on with Emily. I told Edward I wouldn't tell Tanya, I refused, so I am assuming he must have.

_To: swangirl _

_From: tdenali _

_Bella,_

_Sorry I'm just now writing you. I've had a hard time coming to terms with what Edward had to tell me in regards to Emily. Knowing now what was going on with him, things make more sense. The mood swings, the erratic behavior at times, and that bitch always around. It sickens me, but he explained that you told him you wouldn't be with him if he didn't get help for himself. He also told me you told him to man up and tell me. I appreciate that._

_He explained that he was never high around Emma or you, and that he kept that part of his life separate. Thank you, Bella. Thank you for thinking of our daughter's safety, even in your own time of anger. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know. Emma is my life and I know she thinks the world of her father._

_I have a whole new level of respect for you after seeing all of the shit you've been through here recently. Edward told me that your father doesn't approve of your relationship and that you can't see him until graduation when you move. I understand that situation; my own parents did the same thing to me. You, unlike me, have chosen him. You're good for him. You calm him like no one else has ever been able to. I know he loves you; he told me as much. He wanted to make sure I was okay with you being around our daughter and getting to know her. _

_Bella, Edward has never asked me anything like that before._

_Whatever you've done for him and are still doing, please don't stop. He needs you, and from what I can gather, you feel the same about him. Please let me know what I can do, if anything, to help you in that regard._

_Call or text me with anything (503) 961-5555_

_-Tanya_

Wow. I re-read the email a few times letting it all sink in.

Tanya e-mailed me to give her blessing? I know they aren't together anymore and haven't been in years, but they have a child together. So, it's important to me that she accepts me. Since I'm in Edward's life, I'll be in Emma's as well, now with Tanya's blessing.

Edward. He would be so happy to know that Tanya is willing to help. I'm sure the conversation with her was not easy for him. Tanya could take Emma away from him for good, and that would kill him. I'm so happy he's in rehab for himself and not anyone else.

I take a deep sigh. I can't think about that anymore, it depresses me. I really miss him.

As I get myself ready for bed, my thoughts drift to Edward. I wonder what he's doing and if he's thinking about me. I think about him all the time; I count the days until he'll be home. Thirty days is all he's supposed to be there, and we have almost made that. I hope he will do all that he needs to do to get better, so he can come home to me as quick as possible.

It's almost April. Two and a half months until graduation. Until I move out, and until I get my inheritance. These are my repeating thoughts as sleep overtakes me.

*IoI*

_Bella,_

_This is the hardest fucking shit I've ever had to go through. I miss you so fucking much. I swear I never realized how much I need to see your smiling face, until the only place I can see it is in my dreams._

_Sweetheart, I promise I'll never fuck with this shit again. Trying to get clean and not crave it, it's awful, Bella. I never realized how much I used it to calm me down; the pure enjoyment I got from the high. I've learned so much about myself, and what a shit I've been. I'm sorry, I'm so fucking sorry. I know this doesn't even begin to do justice on what I owe you, and I promise once I see you, I will apologize for everything I've done to you personally._

_I'm so sorry I haven't called you. Don't get me wrong, I'm dying to talk to you, but after talking with my therapist, he and I both thought it would be best if I waited until I'm a bit more stable. As I've been coming down from the drugs, I haven't been myself. I never realized how much I depended on them; how much I really was addicted. I've been irrational and yelling and very hurtful to the few people in here that I've become friends with. _

_I've been told that is normal, but I don't want you to have any bad thoughts of me from this process. I don't need to yell at you and then have you hate me when it isn't something you deserve to suffer through. _

_I spoke with Tanya and I told her everything. I also told her she could come to you and ask you anything. Please, you have my permission to tell her anything and everything she wants to know. I need you in my life, Bella. I need you like I need air, but I also need my daughter. The thought of losing either of you kills me. I'll do whatever it takes to get better for both of you, though more importantly, for myself._

_I go to therapy every day; both group and individual. We talk, and we talk a lot. At first I had no desire to talk about anything, I didn't want to share. I'm only a recreational user; I'm not an addict like everyone else, or so I thought. I was wrong. I have an addictive personality and the drugs were my crutch, because I didn't want to face reality._

_I've learned so much about myself, so much. I can't wait to see your beautiful face, and tell you everything. When I do get out, I'll still have to do daily therapy sessions and NA meetings for a while. Do you think you'll want to go with me? For support and to understand me better. I'll understand if you don't want to, it's not like we've been together that long, just something for you to think about._

_Well, I'm turning in for the night. I thank the Heavens for the memories I have of you. Nights are the worst. I'd much rather always dream of your beautiful face, than the nightmares that sometimes take over._

_Yours always,_

_Edward_

Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I look up at Lauren and smile. Secretly, I thank her for my letter, as sad as the letter is, I'm glad to know he's okay.

****~IoI~****

**Thanks again to my Betas SunsetWing and Shadowed By Passion, my pre-readers C MyBabyblues, shenaniwhatagans, and Eternally Edward's Girl. They make everything so much prettier.**

**Congrats to SBP, she gave birth to a bouncing baby boy last week, 7 lbs. 11 oz. and 19 inches. Welcome to the world Baby K, I sure you'll be as precious as your big sister.**

**As always thank you all for reading and reviewing.**

**xoxo - T**


	19. Chapter 19

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

"Edward," my voice is all raspy with lust, as I thrash around, my orgasm fast approaching. "Edward! Oh, God, Ed-ward!" I cry out. I'm so happy I'm finally living at Jake's and back with Edward. Being with him is Heaven on Earth.

Coming down from my high, Edward slams me with one hard thrust of his cock, which almost makes me come again.

"God, Bella, ugh, so hot, ugh, so wet, ugh, so tight," Edward pants between thrusts. "You feel fucking amazing, oh God."

He's right. As amazing as I feel for him, he feels just as fucking amazing inside me; so fucking fantastic. I'm about to lose my mind again. Every time we are like this we lose ourselves with one another.

"Harder, Edward, harder. God, please, harder," I plead.

"Harder? You want harder, I'll give you harder," he grits out, as he pounds into me.

"Oh God, Ed-ward, I'm, I ohhhhhhhh Ed-ward," I moan. I feel myself tighten around him as his thrusting becomes erratic and I feel him twitch inside of me.

"Belllaaa, so good, Belllaaa," he whispers as he slumps over, blissed out from pure exhaustion. "Oh God, Bella. I feel—I can't even describe how amazing that was."

_Beep._

_Beep._

_Beep._

"What the fuck," I mutter. Groggily, I look around realizing I'm not at Jake's but at home. Fuck! My dad can't catch Edward here. Shit!

Then it hits me, and I slump back into bed. I was only dreaming again. Edward's not here; he's still in rehab.

I drag myself out of the bed as tears spring in my eyes. I can cry in the shower where no one can hear me. Two months, it's been two long months since I last saw him. We've exchanged letters, e-mails, and I talked to him once; though hearing his voice made me cry. It was the hardest thing to deal with to date; it was when he told me he was going to be there longer than the four weeks. I miss him so much. The letters and e-mails we exchange are hard to read, but hearing him, so upset and suffering, that took this all to a whole new level.

I'm ready for him to come home, and I've only got two weeks left of school, and hopefully two weeks or less until Edward is back for good. We still have a lot to discuss and work out between us, though we've done quite a bit of written talking since he's been in rehab. It has helped us hash out a lot of issues.

Today is mail call day, as I like to call it. His letters always come today. Friday is my new favorite day of the week.

~IoI~

"Prom's tomorrow, Bella," Lauren reminds me, as she hands me my letter from Edward.

"No shit, Lauren," I laugh as I give her the evil eye. "I know, and I'm as ready as I'll ever be. I'm sorry you guys have to come to my house to get ready. Since I'm still serving my stupid father induced prison sentence, this is the only way."

"We know, sweetie, it's no big deal. As long as we're getting ready together and we get pictures it's all good," Jess points out, making me feel better about the whole situation.

"Well, you guys are the best friends a girl could have; giving up your prom dates so you can go with me means a lot," I admit sheepishly.

"Nonsense. Could you see Royce all tatted up at the prom?" Lauren laughs, "Although, that would be the highlight of my year."

I smile at my girls; thankful I've got them as friends. It means the world to me that they gave up their dates, so I wouldn't be alone.

Walking to class, all I can think about is the letter from Edward burning a hole in my pocket. I never read them at school. I get too emotional and to me they're private. I don't want to share his words with anyone, not even Jess and Lauren. Thank God they understand, and give me that without question.

The day drags by. I want to get home to read my letter; to see what my boy has been up to. Edward decided to stay an extra month to make sure he was clean and to help decrease any chance of relapse. He goes to daily therapy sessions, and I know he will continue, even once he leaves rehab; at least for a while anyway.

The final bell rings and I thank God.

"All right ladies, see you tomorrow? What time's our appointment at the salon again?" I inquire.

"Two o'clock. Charlie already gave his approval for you to ride with us. I spoke to Sue the other day after assuring her everything was on the up and up," Jess interjected.

"Geesh, you'd think I was eight instead of eighteen. Did Sue call the salon and verify that we're in fact going to be there?" I ask embarrassed.

"Bella, please. How long have we been friends? Most of our lives, right? I don't care what Charlie says or what Sue does, we love you. We're not going to think less of you because of this whole fiasco. Screw them, we're going to have a great time, regardless," Jessica says convincingly.

"Thanks guys, I needed to hear that." I give them both a hug. "Okay, I'm outta here. I want to savor my letter before Charlie gets home," I joke as I get into my car. "See you tomorrow."

~IoI~

_Baby B,_

_God how I miss you. Two more weeks, that's it, just two. I feel as though I've been away for a year. I can't wait to hold and kiss you. That's the only thing my brain__,__ among another thing, that seems to have my focus these days. Completely focused on you. _

_Royce and Jasper have my apartment all ready to go for me to come home. I guess they had some cleaning crew come in and completely sanitize the whole thing. Ha, they act like I was some bachelor living it up on my own. It wasn't so bad when you were there was it? _

_Never mind, don't answer that._ _I don't want to know._

_I've got my therapy session times nailed down for when I'm home. I'm going to do them in the mornings. I know per Charlie's rules you can't technically 'see' me until graduation, but I don't know if I can wait. I may have to sneak a visit before graduation. I need you. I need to see you. God, I love you so much. The fact that you've stuck beside me through all of this mess means__ so much to me._

_I'll stop, baby, because I know you and you are sure to have tears running down your face. _

I smile at his words, as I do indeed wipe my tears away.

_Don't cry, don't cry for me. You, Bella, you make me want to be a better person. A better boyfriend, father and friend. I never thought about those things before you came along. I would and will follow you to the ends of the Earth if you want me too, anytime or anywhere._

_When graduation's over, I plan on taking you on a long vacation. Anywhere you want to go, I'll take you. I figure we need some time together. I need you, baby. I just need you._

_Now, go do your homework. I know you read these first thing when you __get home, but I don't want Charlie any more pissed__ at me than he already is. _

_Please have fun at your prom on Saturday. I'm sorry __I won't be there to see your beautiful face. Make sure Jess and Lauren take plenty of photos._

_Love you, baby girl._

_Yours always,_

_E _

Why is it when reading his letters, I always cry whether they are good, or bad? I miss him. I miss him so much. I'm glad the whole Emily debacle is behind us. I'm glad I graduate in two weeks, and we can then move on with our lives; together.

It's what I need and what I want, and the moment graduation is over, I'm moving out of this house. I hope Charlie and I can have some sort of relationship, as well, and not let this whole situation come between us. I truly do. I know my mother would want that as well.

Looking at the time, I realize how late it's gotten. Shit, I'd better get downstairs for dinner, before someone has to come looking for me.

Walking down the stairs, I hear voices. Charlie's talking to someone. I don't recognize the voice. Waltzing around the corner to better investigate, I run almost smack into an attractive guy that I've never seen before.

"Bella, there you are, I was wondering if you were going to be joining us this evening," Charlie remarks. "Bella, _this is_ Stefan Fisher. His father is Judge Fisher. You remember the Judge from the club, don't you, sweetie?"

Sweetie? Really?

"Of course I remember him, Dad. It's been a couple years though. How do you do, Stefan? Nice to meet you." I hold my hand out for him to shake. "I remember your father telling me you were studying at Oregon-Eugene. Law I assume?" I question. I'm trying to be polite to the guy, but really, I want to hit my father. I'm sure he's got some hidden agenda having Stefan here.

Judge Fisher always gave me the heebie jeebies. I want to cringe just at the thought of him. I can't explain why, but he always seems to hit on the younger women. He's married, in fact, I think he's on his second wife, and if I recall correctly, she's around Sue's age or a little younger; probably in her late twenties. Stefan could date his current step mom. That alone is gross, and really, that makes Judge Fisher pretty gross as well. It makes me wonder how creepy his son is then too.

"Bella, are you listening?" Charlie implores, blushing. I realize Stefan has been talking to me while I was off in la-la land.

"Sorry, lost in my thoughts for a moment. What you were saying?"

"It's no problem, I understand. I was saying that your father mentioned you were going to be attending Oregon-Portland in the fall. I was wondering, do you have plans to transfer to Oregon-Eugene anytime soon, or are you going to stay here?" Stefan inquires.

Smiling at my father, I've got a feeling I know where this is going, or supposed to go. I want to be polite, to be the gracious daughter he raised me to be to Stefan, even if I don't care much for my father at the current moment. Seeing as I've been grounded for the last two months and I don't appreciate Charlie's attempt at a hook up, Stefan will have to get his bubble burst.

I look at Stefan and reply, "Well, since my boyfriend lives here and owns his own business, I'm planning on staying at this campus for a while. At least until I've got my core classes done. I haven't decided on a major as of yet, so why uproot my whole life until I know what I really want to do? I'd like to see where certain things go before I make any life altering decisions."

"Boyfriend? I was unaware of a boyfriend." Stefan actually has the audacity to look embarrassed, though I don't believe him. He had to know the plan before he came. I'm sure Charlie has told him something. As I look at Charlie's face, my thoughts are confirmed.

"Bella, I didn't realize you _still_ have a boyfriend," Charlie states. He tries to act innocent, but we both know he's full of shit. As much as I'd like to call him out on it, I won't in front of his guest.

"It's okay, Dad. I know we haven't spoken about it much lately, but Edward and I are still very _much_ a couple, and plan on staying that way," I point out.

Stefan, obviously uncomfortable with me and Charlie, clears his throat, "Well, Bella, your father had asked if I would escort you to prom tomorrow."

Escort? Who the hell says escort? Someone trying to suck up to my father, that's who. I can do this. I can politely decline his invitation, without making my father look like an ass at the same time. At least I hope I can.

"I'm sorry, Stefan, but I'm planning on attending with my best friends. We've had this planned for months," I divulge. He looks relieved and upset at the same time, interesting. I'm assuming Charlie must have bribed or blackmailed him into asking me to prom.

"Bella," my father starts, "won't you at least let Stefan accompany you to the prom? You don't want to be dateless, seeing as Edward is detained and cannot take you, do you?" he implores.

"Detained?" Stefan questions.

"Yes, my boyfriend is unable to take me to prom due to previous commitments," I mumble, while looking sideways at Charlie; daring him to say something. "Also, he's not a student and due to his age, I'm sure it would be frowned upon for him to accompany me. Anyways, I'm excited to go with Jessica and Lauren. We're going to have fun," I say, as I smile at both of them.

"Let's go ahead into the dining room so we can eat. I'm sure whatever Sue made will be delightful," Charlie says, changing the subject as he breaths out a sigh of relief. He knows this could've been disastrous. Yes, I'm angry with him, but I would never tarnish his reputation by being that childish.

~IoI~

Sue always makes the best meals. I think that's what I love best about still living here. I know that's what I'm going to miss the most. Looking over at her, she looks up and smiles. Sue's always been amazing to me. I see her look over to my father, then to Stefan and subtly roll her eyes. I stifle a giggle; this must mean she doesn't agree with the great Charlie Swan.

Conversation seems to flow between my father and Stefan quite easily. This makes me wonder how long they've been discussing this dinner 'date' to set us up.

"Bella," Stefan says, once again jarring out my daydreaming.

"Yes? Sorry, I was lost in thoughts," I admit to him, as I notice my father's unamused look. Whatever, Charlie, I'm not here for Stefan or you.

"I was wondering if you would like to go out for coffee or ice cream after dinner? I know that you have a boyfriend, but you can never have too many friends, right?"

Before I can respond to his question with a no, Charlie answers for me, "Of course she would love to, Stefan. I think that's an excellent idea."

"Dad, I'm grounded though, remember? House arrest, no where but school and home. It's been going on for the last two months, I'm surprised you forgot," I point out, trying to let my father know in the politest way, this isn't going to happen.

"Oh, Bella, I forgot about your being grounded when Stefan asked earlier. I can make an exception for this evening; it'll do you some good to get out of the house. Don't you agree, Sue?" my dad insists. Sue shoots daggers in his direction, and this time I do giggle.

"Well Charlie, I do need some help with the dishes first. Then, I guess, if it's not too late she can go. Bella does have a big day tomorrow," she points out to my father, who is oblivious to her sarcasm.

"Nonsense, I'll help with the dishes. Bella, you and Stefan have an enjoyable evening, but please, have her home no later than midnight," Charlie adds.

I must have the most dumbstruck look on my face. How the hell am I going to go out with this guy? I know Sue is not a huge fan of Edward's, but at the same time, she feels I'm old enough to make my own decisions. She's taught me well over the years, and as far as a mother figure, she's done an excellent job.

"Ummm, Bella, I do need to speak with you for a moment before you go," Sue stammers, looking over at my father and Stefan. My dad gives her a 'what the hell' look.

"It's about the spa appointment tomorrow, it'll only take a second," Sue quickly adds.

She directs me to the kitchen, where at the moment, we have the most privacy. "Bella, you can't go out with that boy," she whispers.

"I know, believe me I know. How do I get out of this?" I question, looking into the living room to make sure my father isn't eavesdropping. I see him and Stefan in deep conversation; my dad clamping down on his shoulder as he chuckles with laughter.

"I don't know, but you need to text Lauren or Jess to let them know what's going on, understand? I don't exactly approve of how you went about your relationship with Edward, but I know you love him. I see it on your face when you talk about him; even when you're angry with him. I also don't agree with how your father blindsided you with this whole Stefan situation and I'm going to speak with him privately about it. I feel it's a safe option to let the girls know, so if anyone sees you, they won't think you're going out behind Edward's back. Make sense?" she questions.

"Do I tell you enough how much I love you? You're the best. I can always count on you, huh?" I acknowledge. "And you're right, if Lauren and Jess know, they can maybe meet up with us. Or if anything, corroborate my story, because I've got to tell Edward. Shit, does Charlie ever even think about what I want?" I cry, as I hear my father calling me from the next room.

"Bella, Sue, come on. Let these kids go before it gets too late," he calls.

"Coming, Charlie," my stepmother informs him, while smiling at me. "It'll be okay, sweetie. Send them a quick text and we'll go from there. Don't worry either, Charlie Swan is about to get a taste of a pissed off Sue." She gives me a quick, reassuring hug.

Walking back into the living room, where both of them stand waiting on me, I quickly take out my phone to shoot Lauren a quick text.

_911 meet at Starbuck's. DB in tow, Charlie's doing. Need help & don't want E pissed. - B_

Within a moment, I got a reply from Lauren.

_Consider it done. - L_

Thank God for my friends, because I feel as though I'm about to step into something that has the potential to not end well.

Surprisingly enough, the rest of the evening is actually enjoyable. Stefan's a great guy, but he's not my Edward. Lauren and Royce show up and act surprised to see me there. I introduce them to Stefan, who is quite intimidated by Royce. This is what I want; I want Stefan to realize I'm not interested in him at all. I want him to realize what I am interested in; Edward.

Edward is the only person I want.

****~IoI~****

**Charlie's an ass, what can I say?**

**Thanks again to my Betas SunsetWing and Shadowed By Passion, my pre-readers C MyBabyblues, shenaniwhatagans, and Eternally Edward's Girl. They make everything so much prettier.**

**As always thank you all for reading and reviewing. **

**Xoxo**

**T**


	20. Chapter 20

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

**Happy Birthday Tinsley!**

~~IoI~~

Prom.

"Why did I agree to do this again?" I ask Jess, as I throw on sweats, so we can get to our spa appointment on time.

"What do you mean? _Why_ did I agree to this?" she answers me sarcastically, before looking at me and giving me a genuine answer, "Bella, it's our senior prom. This is it, no more after this. Lauren and I are off to college next year, and you're staying here. Don't you want to do all these things together like we always talked about?"

"Yes, I do, really I do. It's just you guys have Royce and Jasper to go to after prom. Not to be a downer, but I'll come home alone. I miss Edward, and after that shit my father pulled last night, it solidified things for me," I mention.

Jess gives me a tight hug, before quickly letting go. "Okay, party pooper, let's get a move on, before we're late and Lauren yells at us," Jess commands of me, as she literally pushes me out of the door.

"Bye, Sue, I'll be back later," I yell to my stepmother.

"Bye, sweetie. Have fun and relax. I'll help you guys get dressed when you get back and we'll get some pictures, okay?" she insists. "And don't worry about your father, he promises to be on his best behavior or else."

I laugh to myself. When I got home last night from my outing with Stefan, I could hear Sue yelling at my dad about his sheer stupidity. She told him the fastest way to lose me, is to forbid me from seeing Edward.

She knows once I graduate, I'll move out and he'll never see me again if he's not careful. The only reason I would ever come back home, would be for her and my younger brothers. Yeah, they're pains in the ass, at ages six and eight, and I don't do a lot with them, but they're my brothers. I figure if Charlie doesn't get his head out of his ass, I'll have to visit Sue and the boys outside of the house.

"Bella, where'd you go over there? You've been living in your own head a lot lately. Are you sure everything's okay? Are you worried about last night? I talked to Lauren; she said Royce knows it wasn't what it looked like. He'll explain that to Edward, you know that right?" Jess questions, as we're getting into the car.

"Yeah, I know. I just hate that my father did that to me, plus the fact that he doesn't respect my relationship with Edward at all. Him doing what he did says he doesn't respect me either, and that hurts. It really hurts," I confess.

"I know, baby, I know. Edward loves you, so does Lauren and I; always. We'll always be here for you. Also, you've got Sue as well, and your Dad will want his wife to be happy. You know he does, so he'll come around, eventually."

I nod in agreement. I know Jess is right, but that doesn't mean it hurts any less.

~IoI~

As we pull into the spa, I make a mental note to get my head out of my ass and enjoy the day. Yes, it sucks that Edward can't spend it with me, but the one thing he wouldn't want me to do is mope all day. So, I'm not going to. I'm going to enjoy my last high school hurrah before graduation with my girlfriends.

"Okay, Jess, let's get inside. Lauren's probably already pissed that we're late," I comment, as I'm getting out of the car. "I'm so telling her it's all your fault," I smirk.

"Whatever, biotch, she knows you," Jess laughs as we walk into the salon.

"Good afternoon, ladies. Welcome to GiGi's. How may we be of service today?" a tall willowy blonde asks, as Jessica and I bust through the door, giggling.

"Sorry, we have a reservation under Swan."

"Oh yes, Ms. Mallory is already waiting quite impatiently actually," the blonde smiles, as she guides us back to Lauren.

"Finally, you guys took forever," Lauren exasperates.

"Whatever, Lau, we were chatting. Someone," Jess looks over to me, "was having their own pity party."

"I wasn't having a pity party, Jess," I say as I look at Lauren. "I miss Edward, that's all." I then try to nonchalantly wipe the tears away that threaten to spill.

"Hey," Lauren reaches over to hug me, "we know this has been hard on you, baby. It's okay to cry and to let it out. Neither of us will judge you, you know that right?" she questions.

"Yeah, I know, but I'm not going to ruin our day. Let's get this started, what're we doing first?" I ask blondie, since she witnessed my meltdown. Luckily for me, she smiles and acts like she didn't hear a thing.

"First, we're going to start you off with your facials, then mani's and pedi's. After those, a light snack, followed by your hair being styled. We will then finish with make-up. Now it's my understanding the three of you are going together, correct?" blondie asks, as we nod in assent.

"Excellent, my name is Kate. I'll be your guide through GiGi's today," she states as she walks us into the back part of the salon. "Here's our dressing rooms; please feel free to change into a robe and get comfortable. Alice will come collect you for your facials; and please let me know if you need anything."

With that, she walks off leaving us to change. I'm excited, truly I am. I know I'll get great pictures to show Edward. I mean, it's not like if he could he would want to attend his teenage girlfriend's prom anyway. The thought of Edward actually at prom with me makes me giggle. As much as I love Edward, I can't see him as being comfortable with a bunch of teenagers.

"What's going on over there, Swan?" Lauren quips.

"Nothing, just giggling about how out of place Edward would be at our prom if he was able to come. He's ancient, you know?" I start giggling again, as Jess and Lauren follow suit.

"Just don't ever let him hear you say that," Jess chuckles. "I'm not sure that'd go over so well."

"You think?" I question.

"Ladies, are you ready?" I peer out of my dressing room to see a gorgeous girl with long flowing black hair and beautiful blue eyes. I know I'm staring, but I can't help myself.

"Hi, I'm Alice. I'll be doing your facials today. If you're ready, please follow me and we'll get started," she smiles, as she leads us toward a backroom.

Alice points to three chairs and nods for us to sit. I haven't had a facial in quite a while, so I'm more than ready.

"Have you guys had facials before or do you have any questions?" Alice questions.

"No, we've done this a few times now," I explain.

"Good then we'll get started."

*IoI*

As Alice is finishing up our facials, two other girls come in and introduce themselves. Rose and Irina, they're going to be our mani/pedi specialist for today. Since these are going to take about hour and a half for each of us, there are two of them.

"French manicures for both hands and feet correct?" Rose asks.

"Correct, we want something that will match each other, as well as our dresses," I babble like an idiot. I don't know what's wrong with me; usually coming to the spa calms me, yet today I'm far from calm. I've got no idea why I'm nervous, this is crazy.

"Excellent choice, now sit back and relax. Can I get you ladies anything to drink or a snack?" Rose questions.

"I'm good, but thank you," Lauren responds, "besides I don't want to mess up my nails."

"Same here," Jessica replies.

I nod.

"So," Jess squeals, "tell me about your plans for when Edward comes home. Are you guys planning anything? Jasper told me his birthday is June second, the day after graduation. So, plans?"

"Jess, breathe," Laurens says with a laugh, as she watches Jess with amusement in her eyes. "Seriously though Bella, what're the plans? Because Royce also wants to celebrate his birthday, but doesn't want to step on your toes."

Laughing as I reply, "Well seeing as _Edward_ and I haven't discussed his birthday or graduation yet, I really don't know. I'll make sure I ask in my next letter, but I'm assuming I'll spend graduation night with him. So, let's tentatively plan something for his birthday, maybe the six of us and I can see if Jake and Bree are busy. Maybe we can do a low key dinner. I'm not sure what his therapy entails or what he's going to feel comfortable doing either."

"Makes sense. We'll plan something, even if the guys are alcohol free that evening they will want to be there. I know Royce is ready for Edward to be back home," Lauren comments.

"Yeah, so is Jasper. It's like a piece of them is missing," Jess adds.

"That I understand," I whisper more to myself, but I know they both heard me, even though they act as if they didn't. Great friends I have, they get me.

"Okay, ladies, nails are done. Please be careful when eating and drinking. Kate will be taking you to your stylists now for your hair," Rose states, breaking our private bubble. I had completely forgotten the three of us were not alone.

"Sounds good, lead the way," Lauren chimes.

~IoI~

The rest of our afternoon flies by and before we know it, our hair and makeup are also done, and we're on our way back to my house.

I'm excited. I know I'm not going with Edward, but my dress reminds me of him. It's an emerald green sleeveless, full length gown, made with taffeta and a corset back. It's what I dreamed of when I thought of going to prom. I love the color green; so I guess it's ironic that my boyfriend's eyes are also green.

Sue is waiting at the door as soon as we walk in the house.

"Bella, let me see you," she gushes. "Oh, sweetie, you're so beautiful, even without the dress on yet."

"Thanks, Sue. Do you like my hair?" I question. I know it's done the way I wanted, but it's always nice to have a mom tell you look good as well. I had them leave it down, but do big, loose curls all around. They then gathered up just a little with a beaded headband so there are curly tendrils on each side.

"Amazing, simply amazing," she says quietly. As I look over she has tears in her eyes.

"Sue, what's wrong? Did I do something, say something? What is it?" I ask, worried that I upset her in some way.

"You're mother would be so proud of you Bella. You've grown up to be such a beautiful young woman."

"Thanks, Sue," I whisper, willing myself not to cry and mess up my makeup.

"Okay, ladies, no tears this is a happy time," Lauren interjects quickly before things get out of control. She knows me so well; she knows I will cry, and I don't want to mess up my makeup.

"Oh I almost forgot," Sue proclaims, "you had flowers delivered today while you were out. I didn't read the card, but I'm sure I know who they're from," she smiles.

A bouquet of 'Forget Me Nots'; they are beautiful. My thoughts immediately turn to Edward; I know they have to be from him. I take the card out to read, and as I hoped they are from Edward and not anyone else.

_My Dearest B,_

_Have fun tonight and think of me. I wish I could be there with you; holding you and loving you. Remember only two weeks my special girl; then it'll be us against the world. _

_Forever yours,_

_E_

Damn.

He did it. I felt the tears creep back into my eyes. Damn Edward Cullen, making me cry when I need to get dressed. I quickly wipe my eyes before my makeup is almost ruined, yet again. Smiling at Sue and my girls, I calmly state, "Edward."

~IoI~

Putting our dresses on was easy; getting us to stand still so Sue can get pictures, not so much.

"Lauren, come on," I huff, "I want one of the three of us together. And then I know we all want separate ones as well. Edward specifically asked for a few of me; Sue can you take those with my phone?"

"Of course. I don't know where your father is. I honestly thought he'd be home by now," she states, looking at her watch.

"I'm sure he'll be along at any moment. I'd hope he would want to see me ready for prom," I comment. "I'm going by myself, so that should make him happy."

"Bella, you know he loves you, right? He's just trying to protect you in his mind," she declares.

"Well, he has a funny way of showing it. I'm just glad I only have two more weeks to live here," I state. Sue's face falls and I realize my words have upset her.

"Sue, I'm sorry. I love you and the boys so much. My father just infuriates me. I know he means well, but he could have handled things better. I now know that he couldn't have held my inheritance from me, but I didn't want to upset the apple cart, so I went along with things. I hope he realizes once Edward comes home, I'm going to spend time with him," I reason.

"Yes, baby, I know and I think he's scared he'll lose you as soon as you leave," she whispers.

"He already has, Sue, he already has."

~IoI~

We rent a limo for the night since none of us really want to drive. Lauren and Jess are also spending the night with their boys, so this way it was easier on all of us. We now don't have to worry about who is going to drive, carry the keys and all the other little annoying things that come with driving.

"I'm so glad we did the limo," Lauren notes, as the driver pulls up to my house.

"Me too," I quip, "best five hundred dollars Charlie has spent, even if he doesn't realize it just yet," I giggle, as we walk down the front path toward the limo. The driver is graciously waiting on us with the door open and a big smile.

"Yeah, and by the time he gets the credit card bill, you can write him a check from your bank account, Bella," Jess interjects.

"Classic. Just what every dad wants to know; his daughter has more money than he does," Lauren giggles as I swat her butt while she gets into the waiting car.

"Whatever. I just wanted to make sure we have an unbelievable night. This is our last high school thing other than graduation. We should enjoy ourselves, right?" I question.

"Absolutely," they both chime at the same time, giggling. God we're so silly; I'm going to miss this.

As we pull into the Portland Golf Club, I'm amazed at how serene the outside looks. I've always loved coming here. As a child, my mom would bring me every Saturday for swim lessons. As I've gotten older, I've come here with my Dad a few times; mostly for his business dinners and then a few parties.

It's a beautiful club, with some amazing views. I was quite excited when I learned this was where our prom was to be held. We are in the Ball Room; I've been there once for a wedding reception. The view of the gardens is spectacular and I'm sure they'll have them lit up since it's nighttime.

"Ladies," our driver snaps us out of daydreaming, as he opens our door. "I'll be waiting here until you're ready to go. Please have an excellent time," he says with a smile.

"Thank you," I mumble, as I try to get out of the car. It proves more difficult in this dress to get out than it was getting in.

Once we're all out of the limo, we make our way into the lobby. You can feel the excitement radiating off the three of us. As we turn to make our way to the Ball Room, I see Stefan standing in the corner. He smiles as soon as he notices me. Really? What the fuck does he not understand about I'm not interested in him? He must really be trying to get into Charlie's good graces. As for me though, even if he was the last guy on the face of this earth, I wouldn't give him the time of day.

"Stefan, what're you doing here? Waiting for someone?" I really hope he's not waiting for me.

"I'm waiting on you, of course. I told you Charlie asked me to accompany you to your prom," he smirks.

Oh for the love, I'm about to smack the shit out of him, for sure.

"Stefan, if I remember correctly I told you I was coming with my girlfriends and have no desire to be here with you. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way. I'm sorry you wasted a Saturday night coming here, but I've got no interest in you. And again, I have a boyfriend," I remind him.

"Yes, Charlie told me all about him. Older, tattoo artist, in rehab, right? Sounds like a winner to me," he says, rolling his eyes. "Why would you choose someone like that anyways, when you can have someone like me?" he questions.

"Excuse me, but I believe the lady said she has a boyfriend and she's asked that you leave her alone."

I know that voice; granted I haven't heard that voice in months. I slowly turn around to make sure I'm not hallucinating.

"Edward."

"Hey baby," he says, as I throw myself into his arms. "I missed you so fucking much."

"Wh-what are you doing here? You said two more weeks? What happened? Are you okay?" I question him, looking for signs that he is high or injured. I didn't find any of that, but I did find him in a sleek, black tux, looking unbelievably perfect.

"I sorta lied. I knew I would be out in time for your prom. I just wasn't sure if I could deal with the whole prom setting, so we didn't tell you." He looks over at Jess and Lauren with a big smile. "They knew though. Who do you think helped me plan this whole thing?"

Looking over at Stefan, Edward growls, "Look here, fucker, I don't want to have to tell you again; leave my girlfriend alone. I don't want to see or hear that you've called, bothered or spoken to her again. She's mine."

"Look man, I was only doing what I was asked. I don't want or need this shit," Stefan retorts as he walks away, seemingly unfazed. The words he just spoke meant nothing; I knew he was here only because of Charlie. Edward was here for me, and only me.

"God, I love you, and I've missed you so fucking much," Edward whispers in my ear.

"Me too, baby. Me too," I utter, as we walk hand in hand into my prom.

Looking over at Lauren and Jess I want to be mad, but I just can't find it in me.

****~IoI~****

**Surprise! Edward's home and early I might add. ****WitchyVampireGirl asked me to write an outtake of Sue and Charlie's conversation. It's done all will be posted when I'm done.**

**Thanks again to my Betas SunsetWing and Shadowed By Passion, my pre-readers C MyBabyblues, shenaniwhatagans, and Eternally Edward's Girl. **

**As always thank you all for reading and reviewing, you guys amaze me with the love you have given me.**

**Xoxo**

**T**


	21. Chapter 21

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

I turn and look at Edward. "So exactly how long have you guys been planning this?" I ask as I point between the two of us.

"A couple of weeks. I knew I'd be out earlier than I told you; I just wanted to be able to surprise you," he boasts.

"Well that you did, and the fact that you didn't blow a gasket about the whole Stefan situation; I'm impressed. The old Edward would have been arrested by now," I comment trying to be nonchalant, but secretly jumping up and down.

"Well, I learned a few things in rehab and therapy. I realize if you don't want to be with me, there's nothing in the world that I can do about that. I've got to live my life for me and not for anyone else. Now, having said that, I'll never love anyone as much as I love you. I know it feels like we've rushed things in a sense, but when you know, you know," he says, while giving me that panty dropping smile I've missed.

"Oh, Edward, I love you so much. This day has surpassed my expectations because of you. The flowers, the surprise of you being here." I stop talking as the tears start to well in my eyes. "Damn it, Edward, I don't want to cry."

He places a kiss to my lips. "I love you, too. Don't cry, baby, be happy. Let's live in the moment. Let's walk down that hall and into the ballroom with your head high. Know that I'm here with you and for you always. You belong to me, and now is the time to let these fuckers know it," he smirks.

There's my Edward. This is the Edward I know and love. The possessive side hasn't died; it just seems to have matured in rehab. Turning toward Edward, I take his hand and proceed to walk down the hall into my prom.

I turn around to see Jess and Lauren smiling as Jasper and Royce walk in, with those shit eating grins on their faces. I'm blown away by the love these five people have for me.

~IoI~

"Did you see the look on Riley's face when he saw Edward?" Jess asks laughing hysterically, as we leave the country club and walk to the limo.

"Yes, I was wondering if he was going to speed dial Charlie right then and there. I'm sure his date was pissed all the attention he gave me. Though, Riley did look scared. I bet he thought Edward was going to kick his ass," I chuckle.

"Ladies, ladies, ladies, the drama is over now can we move on with our night?" Jasper says with a smile while trying to look all serious.

"Whatever, dude, this was the best night ever. So what're we going to do next? I'm really not ready to go yet." I turn to ask Edward, hoping we can prolong our night a little longer. I feel like Cinderella; waiting for the stroke of midnight for all of this to be a dream.

"Pretty girl," Edward murmurs in my ear, while nipping at it.

"Hmmmm."

"I'm not ready to let you go just yet, so don't worry. I thought you and I could head to the Original Pancake House, since that's probably the only thing open this late. It's completely up to you if they join us or not," he whispers.

"_Not,_" I reply, giggling.

"Decision has been made, fuckers, my girl and I want some time alone." He looks over to Jasper as he continues talking, "I'll come over tomorrow and we can figure out my work schedule if that's cool. I just need some Bella time now."

"It's cool." Jasper smirks at me, like he knows something I don't know.

Damn men.

Lauren and Jess smile. I'm still in shock that they pulled this off and didn't even tell me. I've got the best of friends.

"Well, how're Jess and Lauren getting home? I mean we all rode together?" I ask no one in particular, because the boys seem to be having some silent conversation among one another.

"We're leaving with Royce and Jasper. You and Edward are taking the limo. No worries, B, we'll get our cars tomorrow. This way Charlie won't know what time we left either, okay?" Lauren replies.

"Oh okay, well, Edward can we go now? I'm hungry. I was too nervous to eat a whole lot earlier," I hint.

"Of course, baby, let's go. Guys, tomorrow?" he says as we turn to get into the limo.

Our driver is holding the door for us, as Edward motions for me to get in before him.

As I get comfortable, snuggling close next to him, I softly whisper, "I never want to be without you again."

I say it quietly, hoping he didn't hear me. I'm scared I'll freak him out somehow, but no, Edward turns looking at me and whispers back, "I never want to be without you either, baby," as he kisses me softly.

Rick, our driver, interrupts our moment to ask where we are going. Edward explains the Original Pancake House. I love the place, but I haven't been there in years. It used to be our Saturday morning tradition when I was growing up to eat there. We haven't been there, as a family, since my youngest brother was born almost six years ago.

"So not to be presumptuous, but I was hoping you'd stay with me tonight. Though I don't want you to think I'm only after you for sex tonight or even sex ever if you're not ready. I've just missed you so fucking much, and I need to fucking feel you by my side, in my bed, with me. God, you're so pissed you can't even answer me. I'm such a fucking douche. I should've never asked you to stay the night. I'm sorry, Bella. Stupid fucker..."I hear Edward rambling to himself quietly.

Lost in thought, I realize Edward has been talking to me and I've not consciously heard a word he's said.

"Hey, Edward? I'm sorry, I was zoned out on childhood memories; I wasn't listening. What were you saying? Spend the night? Stay with you? Sex? What? I'm so confused. Tell me again what you were asking?" I say puzzled, yet amused by the look on his face.

"I was wondering if you'd stay with me tonight. I'm not asking for sex, though I wouldn't complain if we do have it. I just want to be with you; near you and holding you all night if that's good with you," he asks shyly. Edward's never shy about anything; he usually tells me what I'm going to do. This is almost like some alternate universe, I'm not sure I like this or not.

"Edward, first let me say I'd love to stay with you tonight. Second, I miss the demanding Edward. I need the possessive man that I fell in love with back. Not the asshole part, but the demanding part that tells me what I'm going to do." I'm slightly scared as these words come out of my mouth. That is the Edward I want and need though; the self assured man that I know he can be.

I turn to look at him as he's smirking at me, eyes almost black with lust. Yep, that did it. I've got my Edward back.

"Baby B, we're going to stay at my house tonight and you're going to be in my bed. You belong to me and no other fucker is ever going to touch you again, got it?" he questions, as I squirm in my seat. Who knew the asshole possessiveness that he portrays would turn me on as much as it does.

"Edward, I've got to go home. What about Charlie? I can't stay overnight with you, he'll kill me. I'm grounded for crying out loud," I inform him sobbing. I knew this would be hard, and I wanted this; I asked for it.

"First off, you're eighteen. He can't hold your inheritance over your head, it's yours. Second, fuck him, you're legal age and you've got what, two weeks before you graduate? You get good grades and you've done everything he's asked. You're staying at my house tonight with me, and that's final. You belong to me, baby girl. You're _mine._ It's time Charlie realizes this, and besides," he smirks, "Jess and Lauren told Sue you wouldn't be home tonight."

"Asshole," I whisper as I smile.

"Yeah, but the part about the inheritance it's the truth. I asked my lawyer while I was in rehab. I wanted to know if he could keep you from me; or your money from you."

"You did?"

"Yeah, it's public knowledge and I had questions. I'm sorry if you feel I invaded your privacy, but I needed to know what her will said. I wanted to see you before graduation, but if there was any stipulation that he could take your money away, I would have waited," he explained.

In some weird way I was flattered. Yeah I should've been pissed, but he did this for us; so he could see me.

As we pull into Edward's complex after our late night dinner at the Pancake House, I look over at him. He looks nervous, maybe because I didn't say anything about the will at dinner.

"Edward, I'm good. I'm flattered beyond belief you would do that for me; for us," I whisper thickly.

Full of emotion, I'm scared to say too much for fear the dam will break. I want to be with him tonight, all of him, and for him to have all of me. If I start crying now, it'll ruin our night.

He breathes out a slow sigh of relief, "Thank God, I was so worried you were going to be pissed at me."

"No, Mr. Cullen, in fact quite the opposite. I want you to take me to bed _now_," I whimper.

Doors open, credit card slips signed, and it's like we can't get to the door fast enough. Months of sexual frustration coming to an end, as Edward kisses my neck, trying to unlock the door.

"Baby, I wanted our first time to be slow and sensual, but I don't think I can do slow and sensual tonight," he whispers huskily, while unzipping my dress as he pushes me through the doorway.

"Mmmhmmm."

As my dress pools at my feet, Edward picks me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. My heels digging into his ass, as I tighten my hold on him. Yes, he's right; there will be nothing slow and sensual about this at all.

As he looks down at my matching green thong and bra he moans; a low guttural sound I've never heard before.

"These have to go, I need to see this beautiful body that's all mine."

"Okay," I whisper.

He rips my thong with such force it hurts, and I know I'm going to bruise. In the moment, I don't have it in me to care.

Edward sets me back on my feet quickly so he can undress. As Edward he is slowly torturesing me while taking off his clothes, I realize I'm beyond foreplay at the moment; I _need_ the man in front of me. I want and need to feel him buried inside me; pounding me, marking me his own. He lifts me up back up and I feel his hard cock pressed against my thigh, he's so close. I could maneuver myself sideways a little and he'd be in me.

"Edward," I mumble, as he takes his fingers, those long sexy fingers and slowly works them inside me. I'm so wet I feel myself dripping down my leg. I need him.

"Edward, I need you. I need to feel you now," I quiver as he slides his fingers in and out of me, making me moan loudly. "Please, Edward, please, can't wait anymore."

With one push, he's buried in me; stretching me, filling me, and God doesn't it feel good. I want him to move, I need the friction.

I start to wiggle my hips, but Edward stops me with his hands to my shoulders.

"Wait, baby, give me just one minute please," he mumbles "I want to savor the moment, you feel so fucking good. I've dreamt about this moment for so long and I don't want to embarrass myself right out of the gate."

"Edward, please, it feels too good. Please, Edward, I need you. I want to feel you," I beg.

"Feel me? You want to feel my cock sliding in and out of this tight pussy that belongs to me?" he asks, as I feel him harden even more; his eyes so dark they're pitch black.

"I'll give it to you, baby. I'll fuck you so hard you'll never want another cock," he growls. "This is mine," he tells me, as he starts to rub my clit in small circles as he plows harder and harder into me.

"Oh God, Edward," I scream as I feel my orgasm fast approaching like a freight train out of control.

"That's it, baby, come for me, come all over my cock!"

"Harder, Edward, harder."

As he hits my g-spot I explode; white lights flashing behind my eyes. I feel as if I'm going to fall over, but Edward holds me up.

"Bella, so good. All mine, you are _mine_! God, I love you so fucking much, Bella. God!" he screams into my ear, as I feel him stream inside of me letting go of his control.

"I love you, I love you so fucking much, please don't ever leave me again," I whisper to him as we both collapse onto the floor.

"Never, baby, never again," he promises as he places kisses on my forehead. "Come on, let's go to bed. We've got a long day tomorrow. I want you out of that house. Move in with me, move in with Jake, I don't care, as long as you are out of that house. I don't want you around that douche bag of a father of yours anymore. My patience can only take so much," he informs me.

I nod in assent. I knew the day was coming; I'm ready and I know Sue will understand as well.

Slipping into bed and into Edward's arms, I realize there's no place I'd rather be.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, baby."

****~IoI~****

**In case this disappears I'll post at TWCS...I've got a profile over there. So I'll probably slowly update over there. **

**Thanks again to my Betas SunsetWing and Shadowed By Passion, my pre-readers C MyBabyblues, shenaniwhatagans, and Eternally Edward's Girl.**

**As always thank you all for reading and reviewing, you guys amaze me with the love you have given me.**

**Xoxo**

**T**


	22. Chapter 22

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

After a long night of making love, I think I only got about three hours of sleep. Not wanting to wake up or face reality, I snuggled deeper into Edward's chest.

"Mmmm, baby, I could get used to this," he mumbles sleepily.

"Me too. Do we have to get up? Can't I just stay here all day?" I ask not opening my eyes, but tilting my head up to root for a kiss.

Edward must be reading my mind as he kisses my forehead. "Baby, we've got to get up. I've got to meet Jasper and Royce later. Also, I think it's time for me to meet Charlie. I'm not going anywhere and I want Charlie to know that I love you and I'm going to be here as long as you'll have me."

"Well, Mr. Cullen, that'll be forever. I'm never letting you go," I reply with the biggest smile on my face.

"That's what I was hoping you'd say," he replies with that sexy smile stretched across his face.

"All right, I guess I'll get up then." I climb out of bed to get ready. "I do need to get some things done today as well, since my boyfriend demands that I move out of my house," I pause to look at him; to reassure him that I agree and I'm not doing this just for him, but myself as well.

"He-"

"No, Edward, you're right. I love my Dad, and even if he's acting like a douche, he's my Dad. But this," I point between the two of us, "this means everything to me. You mean everything to me. I'm not going to change my mind six months from now, hell not even sixteen years from now. I love you. I'm always going to love you. I may not always like you, but my heart will never feel for another person the way it does for you."

He crosses the room and slams his mouth into mine. "I love you, Bella Swan. You'll always be mine. Now come on, we need to get a shower, so we can get this over with. If you're good and not too sore, I want to have my way with you in the shower," he whispers into my ear.

My knees practically buckle beneath me.

I nod. That's all I can do as my desire over takes me.

Once in the shower, he makes good on his promise.

*IoI*

While Edward is finishing getting dressed, I decide to call Sue. I don't want her to be blindsided at what's about to come her way. It's not fair to her.

I'm nervous calling her as the phone rings, though I know she'll appreciate it.

"Hello?"

"Su-Mom? It's me. I need to talk to you for a minute? Can you talk?"

"Mom? It must be something big for you to use the big guns. What's up? Why are you calling? Is something wrong?" she questions, sounding worried before I even get a word out.

Granted, I only call her Mom when something big is going on in my life, so she knows something's up. I do try to refer to her as mom in front of the boys, but sometimes it's just too much.

"Well, I'm with Edward. Before you freak out though, let me explain. When we got to the Country Club last night, Stefan was there," I pause to let this sink in, knowing she's going to be pissed at Charlie.

"He explained to me that Charlie had asked him to accompany me to the prom. After I'd told Dad and Stefan that I was going with Jess and Lauren, he still did it anyway. Then Stefan proceeded to tell me that an older, tattoo artist in rehab was a _real winner_. He asked why would I want someone like Edward, when I could have him?"

Sue gasps on the other end of the phone.

"Oh it gets better, believe me. So, as I'm telling this asshole I'm not interested _again_, I hear Edward. I thought I was hallucinating, but no, he was right there. He told Stefan to leave his girlfriend alone. He was there. I had no idea he was coming. He got out of rehab early and surprised me," I ramble. "Jess and Lauren set the whole thing up; they wanted to surprise me. It was amazing! I had the best time, and yes, before you ask I got plenty of photos for you as well," I inform her.

"I'm glad, baby. You deserve some happiness," she replies. "So did you spend the night with him?"

"Yeah, that's what I was calling about. Can we come over for brunch? Edward wants to meet you and Dad, and I need to speak with both of you about some things. I need to make some changes. I talked with Edward about everything, and I'm not too happy with Charlie at this moment."

"You're moving out aren't you?" she questions, sadly. "I knew this day would come sooner or later if he didn't get his shit together?" she mumbles more to herself than to me.

"Yeah, I just know I can't stay there with him. He doesn't respect me or my wishes. I did everything he asked of me these last couple of months. I never called Edward, I kept my grades up and I was home every night just like he asked," I explain.

"Where are you going to go?" she questions. "Are you going to stay with Edward? Jess? Jake? Bella, honey, I just need to know. I worry."

"I don't know yet, Mom," I reply. "As much as I'd like to stay with Edward, I think I'll just go ahead and move in with Jake. Edward and I haven't discussed this since before he went into rehab. He wasn't fond of the idea then, so I truly have no idea how's he going to react now."

I look up as Edward walks into the living room. Wanting to finish my conversation with Sue, and not cause a fight with him, I turn around and talk softer, so he can't hear me.

"I don't think he's quite ready just yet for me to stay with him, and I don't want to push. Plus, I'm not sure I'm quite ready either. My heart says yes, but my head says wait. Does that make sense?" I ask.

"Yes, sweetheart, it makes complete sense. You're more mature than your father gives you credit for," she says. "Now hurry along so I can see you guys. I'm going to speak with your father."

"Okay, we'll see you guys in a little while," I tell her. Hanging up the phone, I turn to look at Edward, wondering how I'm going to tell him I'm moving in with Jake.

"So I asked Sue if we could come over this morning for brunch. She said that was good. She'll tell Charlie we're coming over. Before we go though, I need to talk to you about something," I stammer. "I don't want you to get angry, but you're right I can't live there anymore. I'm going to move out; actually I'm going to pack some things today."

"That's great, baby. I think you'll be better without him hovering and trying to make all of your decisions for you," Edward agrees.

"Good, I'm glad you feel that way as well, so I'm, uh, I'm gonna move in with Jake," I mumble, my words slurring together in hopes he doesn't understand what I just said but, at the same time hoping he won't ask me to repeat myself.

"What?"

"I'm gonna move in with Jake ," I repeat quietly and quickly.

"Baby, all I caught was move and Jake." Edward looks at me curiously. "Did you say you were going to move in with Jake?"

Blowing out a slow breathe, I nod slowly, preparing myself for the fight of a lifetime.

"Baby Girl, I'm not angry. I think that's the best idea. Jake is steady and dependable," Edward points out.

"You make him sound like a dog, Edward," I laugh.

"Well," Edward chuckles, "I didn't mean it quite like that. I just think living with Jake is what you were planning before I came along. I just got out of rehab. I gotta get my shit together and make sure I can function in the real world; a drug free world, before I have the added stress of my girlfriend moving in with me," he informs me.

All I can do is breathe a sigh of relief, "Thank God, I was preparing myself for a fight."

"Fight?" he laughs, "Baby Girl, as much as I love you and want to never leave you, I know it's better this way. Besides, I trust you and I trust Jake. Bree would bust his balls if he did anything."

"True, so very true. So you'll help me move? You're really okay with this? I've got two weeks of school left and these last two weeks are going to be hell; finals, graduation and moving. What am I thinking, Edward?" I turn to him as he takes me in his arms, holding me tight.

"You're thinking this is what's best for you. The stress that Charlie has put you under is not good for anyone. You've got two younger brothers who don't need to see all of this shit, and a boyfriend who can't handle it. That's what you're thinking, Bella. So, once that cap comes off at graduation we're getting away. We're going on vacation," he informs me.

"Vacation?"

"Yes, my gift to you. The location is a surprise, but the plans have been made. Remember I told you I was taking you on vacation," he informs me.

"What about therapy, the shop or your income?" I question.

"Therapy will still be done via phone or webcam daily. Royce and Jasper know I'd like some vacation time; rehab isn't a vacation. Income isn't something I've got to worry about either, Bella. It's cool. Now come on, we're going to be late and I want to stop at Voodoo Donuts, so we don't show up empty handed."

"Oh, I love that place. We can get some Bacon Maple Bars. I freaking love those things and a Voodoo Doll for the boys," I ramble, while he's laughing.

"Of course, Baby B. Whatever your heart desires. I thought we could pick up a dozen of everything. I'm sure Sue will love me for that," he informs me while still smiling.

"Edward, you act as if you know her or something. Did you and Sue communicate while you were in rehab?" I warily question, scared of the truth.

"No, we went to high school together. She and Tanya used to be close. I didn't know she was your step mother until the whole lawyer thing with the will," he informs me. "Sorry, I know I didn't say anything last night. I just figured she would've said something awhile ago, otherwise I would have told you I knew her as soon as I found out she was married to your dad."

"No, she hasn't said a word to me, but she seems okay with me dating you. Well at least better than Charlie does anyway."

*IoI*

Pulling into my parent's driveway, I start to panic. I'm scared of what Charlie's going to say and how Edward's going to react.

"Bella, it'll be okay. I promise. I can act like an adult you know," Edward turns to me and smiles with understanding. "Baby, I know this is going to be hard. I'm here for you always. You need to be honest with him and tell him how you feel though."

I nod as I blow out a slow breath I didn't even realize I'd been holding.

"You're right; Charlie needs to know. This isn't going to be easy though. God, I hope he doesn't make a scene. Matt and Michael don't need to see us fighting; I've been very careful around them," I reply.

"Good, let's go."

Slowly we get out of the car. I don't know what I'm so scared about. I talked to Sue, she knows what's coming and knowing her as well as I do, I'm sure she told Charlie. Maybe not all of it, but I bet he knows what's coming.

I open the front door to the house I've lived in most of my life. It's the only home I ever really remember. Since my mom got sick when I was so young, it's hard for me to remember her at home. My memories of her all include hospital rooms and that sterile smell.

Sue has been in and out of my life since my mother was alive. She took care of me while my mother was sick and for a couple of years after she passed. I was too young at the time to know she and Charlie were dating. Sue was twenty when she got pregnant with Michael. She never told Charlie; she just left. She knew Charlie wasn't ready for a new family; his wife had only been gone a short time, never mind their age difference.

I'll give Charlie credit though; once he found out he took care of her. He even offered to marry her, but she turned him down. She didn't want a pity marriage. I've always respected Sue in that regard. Though they have two children and haven't been married that long, she always stood her ground with Charlie. She does things the way she wants them done, and he's always bends to her will.

I'm praying that this conversation I'm about to have with him goes my way as well. Knowing I've got her support means the world to me. She's the only 'mom' I have, even though she's only ten years older than me.

"Sue, Dad, we're here," I yell walking into the kitchen to set down the donuts we bought.

"Be right down," I hear Sue yell from upstairs. Edward gives my hand a slight squeeze in reassurance that this will all be okay. It's obvious he's never the met the _great _Charlie Swan.

I hear the boys before I see them, "Sissy, we missed you. You weren't here this morning. Mommy said you had a sleepover. Can we have a sleepover?" Michael asks while eyeing Edward warily.

"Of course, buddy. As soon as Mom and Dad say it's okay you can come spend the night," I tell him, as I pick him up to hug him.

"Who's that?" he asks, pointing to Edward.

"This is my boyfriend, Edward," I inform him as I hear Charlie humf behind me. Ignoring Charlie, I turn to Edward, "Edward, this is my brother, Michael, and the other little guy hiding behind Sue is Matt."

"Hey guys," Edward says softly, while bending down to their level so they can see him. "I've got a daughter named Emma. She's six. How old are you Michael?"

"I'm eight. Mommy says I'm a big boy. Matt's," he points at my other brother, "six. He's a little big boy," Michael informs him.

"Well maybe we'll have to take you guys to the park one day so you can all play together," Edward informs Michael, who at the sound of 'park' smiles brightly.

"Over my dead body," Charlie hisses.

"Charlie," Sue warns, "we discussed this. Don't make me have to reiterate everything we talked about this morning."

She turns to look at Edward and me with an apologetic look on her face.

"Edward, it's been a while," she says as she envelops him into a hug. "How've you been? Other than the obvious? How's Tanya? I know Bella has mentioned her here and there, and a six year old? Wow, I'm happy for you. Do you have pictures?"

"I've been great. Better since Bella came into my life. These last few months, as you know, have been hard; I've been working really hard to stay on track and do what I need to do. Tanya's good. I think she's found someone who'll be good for her and loves Emma as well. I've missed my little girl. I'm looking forward to spending some time with her. And pictures, of course I've got those," he replies as he pulls his phone out to show Sue the latest ones.

"Dad," I whisper, "I want to introduce you to Edward, please."

He looks at me with such anger and disappointment I almost bolt for the door. Shaking my head slightly, I decide no, I'm an adult; I'm going to act like one.

"Edward," I interrupt him and Sue, "I'd like to introduce you to my father, Charlie."

"Dad, this is my boyfriend, Edward," Edward stretches his hand out to shake my father's. My father looks down at his hand, turns around and goes to the cabinet to pull out a coffee cup; completely ignoring Edward altogether.

I'm pissed. I can't believe Charlie is acting like a five year old. He's almost forty for crying out loud.

"Charlie," Sue's tone is warning him again. Let's hope this time he heeds her warning. "Why don't you get the boys settled with a movie since they ate already? Bella and I will get everything together so we can eat. Sound good?"

"Sure, come on boys. What do you guys want to watch?" he asks, as he herds them up the stairs to the media room.

"Sorry, Edward, I didn't realize he was going to be that much of an asshole," Sue apologizes.

"No worries, I'm here for Bella. That's all that matters," he informs her, which makes her smile at him and winks at me.

We take our seats at the table; getting the coffee and food Sue prepared. I didn't realize I was hungry, until my stomach growls. This makes Edward laugh and Sue giggle.

"Hungry, baby girl?" he asks.

"Guess so," I reply as I bite into one of my Voodoo Donuts. "God these things are divine." I mumble, with a full mouth, as Charlie walks into the dining room with a scowl on his face.

Nice, I guess he decided to join us with his ass on his shoulders.

"Bella, I'd ask what's the pleasure of your visit, but Sue tells me you're moving out. So are you here for my approval or acceptance? If so, you don't have it and won't get it," Charlie sneers.

"Charles Swan, I told you to behave. I explained what would happen if you didn't and I promise you I meant every word," hisses Sue.

I start to get up, but Edward takes my hand and tugs me back down, with a slight shake of his head.

"Charlie?" I look at my Dad with tears in my eyes. "We need to talk. I'm moving out. I'm going to move in with Jake as planned. I'm still graduating; hell I'm valedictorian for crying out loud. Nothing's changed, nor will it in the two weeks before school ends. I'm also going to college in the fall as planned."

I take a breath letting all of this sink in before I drop the bomb on him.

"But Charlie, I'll be with Edward. I plan on being with him forever. I love him and he loves me. If you can't accept that, then your daughter is gone. If you want to be in my life, then you'll be nice to him and respectful. He has done nothing to you to earn your hatred or rudeness. So you decide right here and right now, what's more important; me or your reputation around town and at the club?" I question.

I hold my breath as I look at my father. He's the only thing I honestly have left in this world tying me to my mom. I'll admit, I'm scared. I'm scared he won't love me anymore since I'm choosing Edward, but I've got to do what's right for me. Edward's right for me and I need him just as much as he needs me.

"Goodbye Bella."

****~IoI~****

**I'll have an outtake of Sue and Charlie's talk posted this week as well. I'm hoping you all enjoy a peek into Sue's thoughts. Thank you WitchyVampireGirl for asking.**

**Thanks again to my Betas, and my pre-readers .**

**As always thank you all for reading and reviewing, you guys amaze me with the love you have given me.**

**Xoxo**


	23. Chapter 23

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

I sit there in disbelief as Charlie gets up to walk away.

"Goodbye Bella," I whisper to myself. I feel the tears starting to well in my eyes. I can't even find it in me to wipe them as they start to fall.

"Goodbye, Bella?" I say as I turn to look at Edward, who looks furious, clenching his fists at his side.

"Bella?" Sue whispers, "Bella? Honey, look at me."

I turn to look at her, still in shock over what Charlie said. I knew he was going to be angry, but goodbye? He's my father for crying out loud. My only living parent, and he's just going to write me off because he doesn't like that I'm not going to live here anymore and I'm dating Edward?

Fuck him.

"Yes," I barely whisper.

"Bella, let me make sure the boys are settled and get Charlie out of this house. You guys come back and we'll get you moved. I'm also packing Charlie's shit while he's gone. He's moving out as well," she informs us.

"What? No, I don't want to come between you and him," I cry to her.

"You didn't, sweetheart, he did this all to himself. I told him if he messed this up, he was moving out. I wasn't dealing with his shit anymore. Don't you worry about me, I'm resilient."

"I just don't want to cause problems between the two of you," I say to her as Edward interrupts.

"Bella, listen to Sue. Charlie did this, not you. You came here as an adult ready to talk. You've done everything he's asked of you. This is on him, baby. Don't you let this eat at you, understand?" he says sternly.

I could only nod. How could the happiness I felt this morning from being with Edward now feel like a ton of bricks sitting on my chest?

"Bella," Edward sternly whispers, "you listen to me, this has nothing to do with you. Sue wouldn't kick Charlie out without a good reason. Do you understand? This is not your fault," he reiterates, punctuating every word.

"Okay, I know," I reply.

"Good, now I'm going to call Jake so he knows to be expecting us, and maybe he can help get your stuff moved in," Edward mutters.

I turn to look at Sue, still in shock over the whole situation.

"I'm glad you're moving in with Jake. This will give you and Edward some time to be a normal couple; go on dates. This way he can be in the 'real world' for a little bit since rehab," she tells me.

This makes me smile, she so gets me. "Yep, those were my thoughts as well. I want Edward better and he doesn't need the added stress of me moving in with him on top of everything else."

"You're a good kid, Bella. Yes, you have your moments as I'm sure we all do, but you've done well."

"Thanks. I think all of this," I wave my arms around the room, "has taught me that sometimes things aren't always what you expect. I love Edward. Never in my life would I have thought I would be with someone like him. He and I still have a ways to go; things we're going to have to work on. I'm realizing this. I just know, no matter what, I'm not going anywhere, ever," I tell her.

"Me either, B, me either," I hear Edward say softly behind me. I'm almost embarrassed. I didn't realize he was so close. I thought he was still on the phone with Jake.

"Okay," Edward claps his hands, bringing me back to the reality at hand, "Jake's waiting for us. Jasper and Royce are on the way over to the apartment. We're going to meet them, get a game plan in order and then we'll be back to get your stuff. Sound good?"

"Yes, though I feel bad that everyone has to spend their day off helping me move," I inform him. "You had things to discuss with the guys and you just got home."

"Hey, none of that, ya hear? We're going to do this together. Besides, I start therapy in the morning and I will get back to work. I've got to ease back into that as well. The guys don't care how long it will take me to get back at it. Plus, Lauren and Jess are coming with the guys to help. Do you think they'd let me do this with you by myself?" he asks chuckling.

"Yeah, you're right. Sue are you good if we come back later? Can you handle the whole Charlie thing by yourself?" I ask her as she nods.

"Of course, and Edward, it was good to see you again. It's been too long. Let's not go that long again, okay?" she tells him. "Please, one of you have Tanya call me. Now that I know, I would like you guys back in my life again."

"Absolutely. You know nothing would please her more. She was devastated when you left and we lost touch," Edward explains to Sue.

"Wait, I'm still confused. I get that you guys went to school together and were friends, but what happened?" I ask the both of them.

Sue pauses for a moment.

"Well," Sue begins, "when I started working for your Dad, your Mom was really sick. I spent quite a bit of time with you, so I didn't really hang out with my friends as much. Then, when your Mom died, I practically lived here since Charlie was a complete basket case and had no idea what to do. So I took over."

"Tanya didn't care for your dad so much. Her parents had some bad business dealings with him at the time, so she went on what she overheard. I thought the world of Charlie; I started thinking of myself more as a girlfriend-slash-wife, than I did as your nanny. Well, this didn't go over well with my friends, so I started pulling away. When I got pregnant with your brother, I left altogether. I didn't want anything to do with anyone; my parents were devastated. I left without any goodbyes or telling anyone where I was going. Of course, your father found me and sent me money regularly. He even offered to marry me, but I didn't want him to marry me for pity, I wanted him to love me the way I loved him.

"When I finally came back, I never told my friends or family. Charlie and I eventually got married and I went on about my business. I still wasn't really on speaking terms with my parents. Though I did hear around that Tanya and Edward had a child. I knew he was a tattoo artist, but that was the last I heard. The Denali's moved and I assumed that Tanya and Edward went as well. Now what I didn't know was about their break-up or that Edward Cullen is actually Edward Masen," she explains giving Edward a pointed look.

"Masen?" I question.

"Yeah," Edward says sheepishly, "my birth name is Edward Anthony Masen. My mother's maiden name is Cullen. I changed it years ago so I could separate myself from the Masens. I honestly don't even think about it anymore. That's probably the other reason why Charlie didn't really know who I was and Sue didn't mention knowing me. She didn't recognize the name."

"Masen," I mutter to myself. I heard my father talk about the Masens. He was always raving about them. I knew they moved to Europe when I was in elementary school I remember him saying something sad about losing a child. I always assumed their child had died, not left the family name.

"So what happened? Why did you change your name? Why did they move to Europe? What the hell is going on? I feel as though I'm living in the Twilight Zone," I quip.

Edward chuckles as he answers, "Well, remember me telling you I got into some trouble with the law?" I nod my head and he continues, "Yeah, well I wanted to start over; have a fresh start where people wouldn't judge me by my name and didn't know of my past. I talked in length to both my parents about changing my name to Cullen. They were both okay with it and understood why I needed to do this for myself. I'd just turned eighteen, and they were already off to Europe, so it left me on my own.

"I had more than enough money in the bank to really never have to worry about working. I wanted to go to art school, but after all of the legal problems, it just never worked out. I bounced around for a short while, doing odd jobs, until I figured out what I wanted to do. Now mind you, I was still dating Tanya and her parents were the epitome of stiffness and snobbery. They have old money, just as my parents do, but my parents were different.

"I remember the day I stumbled into Tribal Urge. I met Forrest and we chatted about me getting some ink. He told me they had an internship position open if I wanted to give it a try, so I jumped in. Bella, I never looked back, I was happy."

I realize as he's telling me all of this and I never even knew anything about his parents. He doesn't talk about them that often, so I assumed they didn't speak or were dead. Sue has been listening just as intently as I am; I guess this is her first time hearing all of this as well. Who knew Edward came from money? I sure as hell didn't.

"Tanya's parents hated the fact that I was working at a tattoo parlor, and once she got pregnant unmarried, it caused even more problems, but you know the rest of that story. As for my parents, they live in Europe, very low key. I spend time with them a couple times a year. They're happy and I'm happy. Does that explain everything?"

I nod. I'm so overwhelmed by all of the knowledge.

"B, I didn't keep anything from you. I just don't think of myself as a Masen. I rarely, if ever, touch my trust fund. It paid for rehab and I'm going to use some to pay for our vacation. Other than that, I'm me, no pretentious asshole ways, well, other than the ones you already know about," he laughs.

"Well, uh, I've learned more today about the two of you than my brain can comprehend at the moment. I guess we've got to get moving so we can move all of my crap." I turn to look at Sue," You're the best, you know that, right? All of this and you're still standing tall. I had no idea the extent to what you guys have been through."

"I'm glad. I would never want you to think I kept anything from you. I've always been as honest as I could be with you," Sue explains. "Now, come back in an hour or so and Charlie will be gone. I just need to talk to the boys with him, so they can understand. Bella, I love your father, truly. I'm just not happy with him right now, but I want you to know, I'm hoping he and I can somehow work through this mess."

"I know and I understand. When you love someone," I turn to look at Edward, "you'll go to the ends of the earth and back for them."

Walking to the door, Sue nods in agreement, as Edward smiles at me. I squeeze her hand letting her know she's got me if she needs me.

"We'll see you later," Edward says, as he opens the front door and we make our way down the steps.

Getting into the car, I sigh in relief. "Well, that went somewhat better than I expected, but at the same time, I'm heartbroken over what he did."

"I know, baby, and as much as I want to tell you it'll get better, I don't want to make promises I can't keep," Edward replies.

"I know, _Mr. Masen_," I giggle," that little fact alone kills me. I'm still in shock that you and Tanya were friends with Sue. Small world, huh? After the whole explanation of things, I now understand why no one thought anything out of the ordinary with me dating you. Wow."

"It's Cullen, missy, and _when_ we get married, you'll be Bella Cullen, so don't get all cocky on me," Edward advises.

This quiets me. When we get married? He wants to marry me? I don't think my smile could get any bigger.

"What're you thinking about over there, Baby Girl?"

"You," I say with a smile, which in turn, makes him smile.

"Cool, let's head on to Jake's, so we can get this shit done."

~IoI~

Pulling into Jake's, I turn to Edward, "Who else knows about the name change? Does Royce or Jasper know you're a Masen?"

He shakes his head slowly, "No, I've never told anyone. Tanya knows for obvious reasons and now you and Sue know. I just don't like going around, bragging about who I am, which was the main reason for the name change to begin with. Royce and Jasper know I've got money stashed aside. They just have no idea how much or where it came from, and I'd like to keep it that way if it's cool with you. The only thing that changed was my name; I'm still the same person."

"That's cool, I just didn't want to slip up and say anything one way or the other. I love you, Edward. I don't care what your bank balance is or what your last name is either."

"I know, baby, I know," he chuckles softly.

"Belly-boo, what's up with you?" Jake yells across the parking lot, as we pull in front of Jake's building.

"Dear, God, please don't say I've got to put up with_ that _Jake all day?" Edward questions.

"Yep, I bet we do. This is the happy go lucky Jake; the Jake that's ready for me to move in," I reply. "He's harmless this way, Edward, just slightly annoying. I'm sure Bree will keep him in line, she's good at that. I really do like her, I'm hoping you will as well," I reply.

"Okay, I'm trusting you on this one. I just want to get this done and you settled in. I know you've got school tomorrow and finals to start studying for as well."

"Yeah, two more weeks until graduation. I can't wait. Will you tell me now where you're taking me on vacation?" I beg.

"Nope, it's a surprise, one I'm sure you're going to enjoy. You do have your passport updated though, right?" he questions while smirking at me.

"Yes, I've always got that. You never know when Charlie would want to take a trip somewhere," I tell him.

"Good."

"Bella, let's get this show on the road. I'm ready for you, roomie," greets Jake, as he opens my car door.

"Geesh, Jake, give a girl a moment, will ya?" I squeal.

"Dude, I haven't seen you in months. I've been looking forward to this day forever," he yells as he picks me up out of the car, giving me a bear hug.

"Jake! Put me down, I'm not some rag doll you know," I screech. He actually listens and sets me down, while Edward laughs.

"Laugh it up, Cullen, laugh it up," I quip.

"Shit, you're in trouble now. She never calls you Cullen unless you're in trouble," Jake offers.

"Shut up, Jake," Edward laughs. "C'mere baby, you know I love you," he croons as he pulls me closer to him.

I smack his chest in mock defiance, "Whatever, dude, whatever."

"Seriously, let's figure out how we're going to do this. I started packing a couple weeks ago, so most of my stuff is already packed. I've got the everyday things I need to get, and I can go back if I forget anything," I explain to Jake and Edward. "Now, let's go figure out who's doing what, so I can finally get moved in for good."

"Or for now," smirks Edward, winking at me.

****~IoI~****

**The Sue/Charlie outtake is posted under my profile. **

**Thanks again to my Betas, and my pre-readers .**

**As always thank you all for reading and reviewing, you guys amaze me with the love you have given me.**

**Xoxo**


	24. Chapter 24

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

Living with Jake is good, just as I expected it would be. He does his thing and I do mine.

Since he's been living on his own for a couple of years, the fact that me moving in went as smoothly as it did is incredible.

These past two weeks flew by for me. Of course, I had finals and my speech for graduation I needed to finish. I haven't got to see Edward as much as I want. Since he missed so much work due to rehab, I spent last weekend at the shop with him while he worked, so we could be together..

I never realized so many people were clients of his, until I saw the steady stream of people in and out getting tats and piercings. The guys seemed to appreciate me in the room while he worked, where as the girls just glared at me. Before I would've been intimidated, but not now, now I know where I stand with Edward.

Tonight we decide on a quiet night at home, just the two of us. Graduation is tomorrow and then we head out for our vacation the day after.

"Baby, what's that smile for? Are you having dirty thoughts about what I'm going to do to you later?" Edward whispers in my ear, causing goose bumps to break out all over me.

"Well, shit, I wasn't, but now I am," I answer in a husky voice.

"Damn woman, you're killing me," Edward throws a hand over his forehead mocking me.

"Whatever, _Cullen_, I _was_ thinking these last two weeks have been hard on me not seeing you every day. I'm glad finals are done, school is done and graduation is tomorrow. I'm ready for a vacation. So, where are we going again?" I ask, lips jut out in the best pout I can give with puppy dog eyes.

"Nope, not happening. You'll know most likely once we get to the airport and board the plane, Ms. Swan. You've only got two more days, you can handle it," he laughs as I swat at his chest.

"That's not fair, Edward," I pout.

"No, what's not fair is that I haven't done this since I got here." He takes my face in his hands and kisses me softly. "I missed this, this week. I missed you, and I get to have you for a whole month to myself. So see, it'll all be fair in the end, Ms. Swan."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you. So we're doing an early dinner tomorrow with Sue and the boys after my graduation. I told her I didn't want a party; being with you guys is all I want. I know that Lauren and Jess's parents are doing the same and then we're all coming back here for our own celebration," I tell him as I try and waggle my eyebrows like he does at me.

"We are, are we? That sounds like fun, what's on that agenda?" he asks as he nips at my ear.

"All of us, Edward, the girl's as well as Jasper and Royce," I laugh at the crestfallen look on his face.

"Oh," is all he says, as he moves away from me.

"Baby, come here," I pat the couch where he was just sitting, "you get me for a month; my two best friends are leaving for college. I want to spend some time with them too, okay? You're not going to be without me. I'm spending the night with you wherever you'll be. So don't be sad, okay?"

"Bella, I'm not sad. God, you make me sound like some girl," he laughs. "I just love to give you shit, and then act like I'm all upset."

"Dickhead," I say with a laugh.

"Yep, but you love me," he says teasingly.

"Yes, that I do. Okay come on, let's get to bed. I'm exhausted and tomorrow's a big day for me," I tell him, as I get up off the couch and make my way to my room.

Jake stayed with Bree tonight and I'm pretty sure it's to give Edward and me space, seeing as we haven't seen one another in a week.

**IoI**

"Edward, I can't be late...ohhh don't stop though. Oh, that feels good," I mumbled sleepily as I feel Edward continue to kiss my stomach, making his way down to the apex of my thighs.

"Baby, we won't be late. I promise I'm waking you in plenty of time. I have to have something good to eat this morning and I want it to be you," he whispers as he licks my clit. I almost jump off the bed at the contact, but instead, I fist the sheets tightly in my hands, holding on for dear life.

**IoI**

After the wake-up that Edward gave me, I've have no desire to get out of bed.

"Baby, c'mon, we're going to be late and I promised you I wouldn't let you be late," Edward urges to help get me up.

"But, Edward, I wanna sleep. Please? Please can't I sleep for ten more minutes?" I whimper.

"Baby, I let you sleep for another hour. C'mon, it's time to get up. Seriously, we're going to be late, late. And as valedictorian you've got to be there early," Edward affirms, as I slowly roll out of bed.

"Fine," I pout, "but you're going to pay later, mister."

"Oh, sweetness, I sure as hell hope so. Go get in the shower and I'll get your breakfast ready," he chuckles as he walks toward the kitchen.

I could get used to this, but I know it's still too soon for us to live together. Hell, our vacation will be a testament to whether we'll be able to handle it or not. The thought of a whole month of just Edward andme has me giddy with excitement. I just wish I knew where we're going.

Lauren and Jess know; they helped me pack. All they told me is it's somewhere warm and out of the country. Bitches...

Damn man, won't even tell me where he's taking me.

Turning on the shower, I strip myself of Edward's t-shirt. I think about last night and this morning. God, he does love my body. He worships me more than I ever thought possible.

I climb in the shower and start to get clean, but thinking about him in the other room and me naked in the shower makes me tingle all over. My hand travels down my body to relieve the tension in my body.

"Bella," I hear him yell from the other room, snapping me out of my lust induced daydream, "hurry up, your breakfast is going to get cold."

"Shit," I mutter under my breath, "I'm coming," I yell, chuckling to myself. He has no idea how literal I'm being.

Turning off the water, I step out of the shower and dry off quickly, finally taking notice of the time.

"Fuck, what was I thinking sleeping so late?" I mumble to myself.

"I've got no idea, baby girl." Edward responds and then jumps when I scream.

"Damn it, Edward, don't scare the shit out of me like that," I screech and smack his chest.

He smirks at me, as he asks, "Damn, how hot was your shower? You're flushed." Quirking his eyebrow, he waits for my answer.

"I gotta go eat breakfast, you said it was getting cold," I whisper, as I walk past him and into the kitchen. I pick up my coffee mug to take a swallow before he can ask me anymore questions.

"Umm, Bella, exactly what were you doing in the shower?"

"Uhhh, washing?" I answer not sounding convincing to even my own ears.

"Really, Bella? Didn't you get enough last night and this morning?" he asks me while chuckling.

I want to throw something at him.

"Look, it's not my fault that I started thinking about you while I was in the shower, okay? I've got a sexy boyfriend and I love the way he makes me feel," I quip.

"Well, I do what I can, baby. C'mon, eat up so we can get dressed. The sooner this is over, the sooner we can come back and re-enact your shower scene," he informs me.

"Fine," I reply as I eat my bagel and finish my coffee.

**IoI**

"All I know is I'm thankful these gowns are black. Can you imagine if they were some hideous color like yellow? God, I look horrible in yellow; black is much better," I ramble while Edward chuckles.

"Yes, I know, you've told me about twenty times now. Are you nervous, baby? You know you're going to kick ass, right? I've got all the faith in the world in you," Edward tells me as we pull into the school parking lot.

"I know, but this is huge and I don't want to screw up. My mom always said I was going to do big things. I wish she was here to see me today," I whisper.

"I know, baby, but you know she's watching you, don't you? Sue will be here with the boys and I'm here. I know it's not much, but we'll make it the best we can," he exclaims.

"You guys are more than enough. I know the people here for me love me and that's what matters most," I reply, tears filling my eyes. I can't help but think of Charlie. I know I shouldn't, not after what he did, but he's my dad. I hate to admit it, but part of me wants to see him, though I won't say that out loud.

"Hey, no crying, okay. Look who's here to see you."

I glance up to see Sue with Matthew and Michael, both boys beaming. As soon as Edward parks the car, I've got my door open and I take off, almost running to them.

"Sissy, you look so pretty," Michael says to me with that adorable grin.

"Thanks, you clean up nicely yourself, little man, and look at you, Matthew," I say while pulling them both into hugs. "I've missed you guys. Are you excited to go see Nana and Grumpy?"

"Yes," both boys yell excitedly. "Mommy says it might be too cold to swim in the ocean, but maybe we can swim in the pool," they inform me.

"Good, I'm glad. Edward is taking me on a vacation tomorrow, too, just like mommy's taking you guys."

"Is Daddy going with you and Edward? Mommy says he's not coming with us, and we don't want him to be lonely," Michael informs me. I look up at Sue; she's trying to subtly wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Uhhh no, guys, Daddy's not coming with me either. I think he's got some work to do here. Maybe he'll come visit while you're at Nana and Grumpy's," I suggest, hoping they don't read too much into this conversation. I've got no idea what's going on with my dad and Sue.

Since I've been studying for the last two weeks and trying to tie up and loose ends before Edward and I leave for vacation, I haven't spoke to Sue as often as I've wanted or needed.

"Mommy says he won't be coming to visit. She says that we can see daddy, but right now daddy's in a time out from her." This breaks my heart. I never wanted to come between them. Looking up at Sue she shakes her head silently letting me know this isn't my fault.

"Well guys, sometimes even grown-ups need timeouts. I'm sure it'll be okay. Besides, you get to go to the beach. You guys love the beach." I smile at them with their little angel faces. I love these boys; they mean so much to me.

"All right kiddo's, Bella's got to go with her class, so she can walk across the stage. Let's go find seats. Maybe we can talk Edward into sitting with us?" Sue looks at Edward and then to the boys, who now have these puppy dog looks on their faces.

Since moving, I've learned Edward is their new hero. The few times I've talked to Sue since I've moved, she says the boys talk about Edward non-stop. I guess he made a huge impression on them the day I moved out.

"I think I've got room on either side of me for two boys. Question is, do you guys want to sit with me?" Edward asks them both, while picking them up and swinging them around.

They giggle out their yeses.

"Boys," Sue chuckles as she goes with Edward to find seats.

I quickly walk to where all the graduates are supposed to be; looking for Lauren and Jess. My nerves are all over the place. I'm scared I'll screw up my speech or trip walking across the stage. I picked my shoes with that in mind; stairs and nerves, not a good combination.

Not seeing either of them, I walk over near the far wall and sit down in one of the chairs. I figure while I'm waiting I'll play on my phone. There's nothing else to do and we've got a good forty-five minutes before the ceremony starts.

"Bella," I look up and see him. As much as I wanted him to come, I wasn't expecting to see him. Now that he is here, I'm a bundle of nerves. I figured if he was going to be here, he would've done it discreetly and not made himself known.

"Charlie." I say flatly.

"Bella, I... uh... shit," he mutters.

"Charlie, I can't do this right now. I need a clear head. I've got a speech to give and I just, yeah, I can't."

"Bel-," I hear Edward's voice. "What the fuck are you doing?" he asks Charlie.

"I wanted to talk with my daughter, not you," Charlie sneers.

"Look, you told her goodbye; you broke her heart. You don't get to come and fuck up her graduation, too. Do you fucking understand?" Edward informs him.

"She's my daughter. I've got every right to be here. You don't tell me what I can and cannot do with my own daughter," Charlie replies.

"Ummm guys, I'd really rather not make a scene, please?" I beg both of them, as they glare at one another and ignore me.

"Charlie, she's mine, all mine. You threw her away. You said goodbye. Don't ever fucking forget that. You fuck with her and I'll fuck you up. Do you understand?" Edward growls.

"Are you threatening me, Cullen?" Charlie questions, puffing out his chest, trying to look tough.

"No, I'm making you a promise. I love her more than life itself and I won't sit back and let you hurt her. She belongs to me and I won't let anyone or anything hurt her. Capisce?"

"Are you going to just stand there, Bella? Are you not going to say anything to him? You're not an object, Bella; you're a person with feelings," Charlie says to me, while looking back and forth at me and Edward.

"Edward's never treated me as an object; he's never put his golf buddies or his clients before me. He's always respected my feelings. He loves me, Charlie; unconditionally, as I love him. You told me goodbye, you did this, Charlie. You hurt my feelings, not him. Now please go. I've got a speech to give, a diploma to get, and a vacation to go on with my boyfriend," I inform him.

Charlie starts to move toward me and Edward literally growls. "Don't even fucking think about it. She told you to fucking go. If there's ever a chance that she might forgive you, then you need to fucking go now. I love her and I will do anything for her. Just go."

Looking defeated, Charlie walks away as I wipe the tears falling from my eyes. It's refreshing to see and realize how much Edward will do for me. I wanted Charlie here, but not like this. Why couldn't he have come and not made a scene?

"Baby, come here." I take a step toward Edward and he engulfs me in his arms. "It's okay, baby, I'm here. I'll never let him near you again, unless if you want him to be. I love you, Bella, you and only you. I never want you to have that kind of heartbreak. Whatever I need to do, baby, I'll do it," he whispers into my ear.

"Bella," I hear Jess crying my name. I untangle myself from Edward's arms and turn to my best friend, who in turn pulls me into her arms. "It's okay, Lauren and I are here, we've got you. Edward, I promise we've got her and we won't let him bother her again."

"I'm good, you guys, I'm good," I whisper. I turn to Edward, "Go find Sue, make sure she's okay. She doesn't need to deal with his shit either. Don't let the boys know he's here and I'll be okay, I promise," I reassure him.

"Okay, B, if you say so," he says, running the back of his hand down my cheek.

I nod.

As Edward walks away, I turn to look at my two best friends. "I love you both so much. I'm grateful beyond words for you."

"Ditto, B," Jess says.

"Always," Lauren agrees.

"All right then, let's go do this thing," I say, realizing it's time to go, and realizing no one really paid attention to what was going on around them.

As I walk across the stage to accept my diploma, I seek out Edward in the crowd. Once I find him, I smile. Matthew and Michael are both in his lap with the biggest smiles on their little faces.

"I love you," he mouths. I smile and slightly nod. I love him more than he'll ever know. He loves me, accepts me, and takes care of me.

He owns me.

****~IoI~****

**Thanks again to my Betas, and my pre-readers . I hit a mental roadblock with this chapter. SBP helped me work through it. Then it took a mind of its own and wrote itself. Thank you SBP for being my sounding board of where I want to go and helping me get there.**

**As always thank you all for reading and reviewing, you guys amaze me with the love you have given me.**

**I do have a rec this week, my friend luckyirishtart is writing a Witfit. Rocker Edward, set in the early nineties, about grunge bands and trying to make it big. It owns me, and she updates once a day which makes it even better.**

**Part of me ~ http(:) s/8939774/1/**

**Xoxo**


	25. Chapter 25

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

"Charlie did what?" Sue practically screams at me once I explain what happened at graduation. We're in the restroom at Nuestra Cocina. We came here for an early dinner, before celebrating at the apartment later with everyone else.

To Edward's credit, he never mentioned a word to her about it; he didn't want to cause a scene further embarrassing me or her. For this I was quite grateful.

"Sue, it's fine, Edward handled it," I tell her smiling to myself. He handled it all right; he put Charlie in his place.

"Edward shouldn't have _had _to handle anything," she complains, "your father is an adult, he should act like one."

"I agree, but I'm glad he came to my graduation though. So we're," I point between the two of us, "going to leave well enough alone, okay?"

"Fine, but I'm not happy about this," she retorts.

"I know, but I want to enjoy my graduation celebration and get on with my vacation," I inform her as sternly as possible without hurting her feelings. I know she's upset as well, but all I really want right now is some normalcy.

"Come on; let's go back to our table. I don't want our dinner to be spoiled because of Charlie. He's the boy's dad, hell, he's my dad too, but I don't want them to hate him, because of my feelings," I explain to her.

"Well, I must say you're handling this way better than I am for sure. I'm trying to be an adult, when all I really want to do is strangle him," Sue replies with a giggle.

As we arrive at our table, Edward looks like he's a human jungle gym. Matthew and Michael are all over him.

"Boys," scolds Sue, "get off Edward."

"It's cool; we were discussing tattoos and body piercings while you guys were gone. The boys have decided they want tribal pieces on their backs and septum rings. Is that cool with everyone?" Edward deadpans.

"Ha, like that's going to happen, Edward. Keep dreaming, just keep dreaming," Sue laughs, as she pulls my brothers off him. I love how she takes Edward in stride and doesn't freak over the small stuff.

Sitting down next to Edward, he leans over and asks, "Everything cool?"

I nod and smile at Sue.

This appeases Edward, and we continue our meal as planned, ignoring all of the drama that happened earlier.

**IoI**

Pulling into my apartment complex, Edward turns to me and says, "You know, Bella, I'm impressed with how you handled everything today. I'm sorry if I stepped out of bounds with what I said to Charlie."

"Edward," I whisper as he pulls into the parking space. "Please don't ever feel that way. I love you; I love you more than you'll ever know. You own me baby, heart and soul. I can't thank you enough for the things you've done and still do for me," I stammer.

"When I think about where we were when we met, and the shit we've had to go through to get where we are now, it makes me smile. Edward, think about all of the obstacles we've been through in such a short time span. Most people don't deal with half of this shit their whole lives. I've got you baby, that's all I need. I love my Dad, but do I like him? No, not at this moment, but one day I hope I will again," I confess.

"I know, baby, I know," Edward mutters, "I know how much he means to you deep down. I just want him to respect you."

"I want him to respect me, too, but enough emo talk for the night. Let's get in the house and celebrate my graduation with our friends. Then tomorrow, you can take me on this amazing vacation that _everyone _seems to know about but me," I surmise.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, c'mon you," he says as we get out of the car and make our way up to the apartment.

Opening the door, I hear Jake first; he's so loud. He doesn't understand the phrase 'inside voice.'

"Belly Boo! It's about time you guys showed up. Damn, did you take a detour to Cullen's place?" Jake teases.

"No, dumb butt, we had dinner with Sue and the boys. Besides I didn't want to disturb any nastiness you had going on in here with Bree," I mock jokingly. "Sorry, Bree, but you know he brings this on himself."

"Hey, no apology necessary, I get it," she remarks as she punches Jake in the arm.

"Ow, what the hell was that for?" he whines.

"Don't be a dick? Okay? This is Bella's night and we're here for her. Besides she's going to be gone a month and you know better than anyone that you're going to miss the hell out of her," Bree explains as Jake's still rubbing his arm.

"Yeah, I know, sorry, B. I'm already so used to you being here. I've no idea what I'm going to do for a whole freaking month while Cullen has you traipsing around the world," he exclaims. "Has he even told you where he's taking you yet?" he asks with a glint in his eye.

"No," I pout. "Does everyone know where you're taking me?" I ask.

Edward laughs as he pours himself a coke, "Want one?" he asks, trying avoiding the subject.

"Yeah, that'd be good, and don't try to sidestep the question, Edward."

"Me?" he says in mock defense, "Never."

I'm about to give him shit, when Jess and Jasper walk in, followed by Royce and Lauren. I'm so excited I get to spend my last night before vacation with them. We decided there would be no alcohol at our get together. With Edward just getting out of rehab, I didn't want him to have any temptations and everyone else agreed.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Jess asks as she sits down on the couch, looking around, taking us all in.

"Bella's being mean to me," Jake fake whines.

"Whatever," I quip, "Jake's being an ass and Bree called him out on it, that's all. We're all good, and now that you guys are here, it's even better."

"Well forget Jake and let's go make sure all of your luggage is ready to go," Lauren smiles devilishly.

"C'mon, B, we've got some things we want to share as well," Jess interjects.

I'm sure the look on my face is that of a lost puppy. I want to stay with Edward, but then again I want to talk to them in private as well.

"Bella, go, it's cool. I've got business to discuss with Royce and Jasper anyway, and Jake, well I can harass him more if you're not in here," Edward laughs.

I nod in assent. I don't know why I'm feeling so clingy today. Maybe it's the whole scene with Charlie, maybe it's because we're leaving tomorrow. Hell, maybe I'm just PMS'ing, but either way, I hate feeling this way.

Following Lauren and Jess into my room, I shut the door and turn and look at my two best friends.

"So did you tell Sue about Charlie showing up?" Lauren questions, never one to beat around the bush.

"Yeah, she was pissed. I told her what Edward said and what happened. It sucks, but what's done is done. I think Charlie wanted me to know he was there, but that wasn't the way to go about it. Plus, I'm not ready to talk to him yet; I don't even know if I'll ever be ready. And after today who knows. Edward apologized for overstepping his boundaries, his words not mine. I was fine with what he did and how he handled it," I told them.

"But you know what; I don't want the weight of Charlie weighing down on me before I go on vacation. So let's put this behind us and move on to make sure I've got all of the right bikinis," I joke, hoping they'll give me some clue as to where Edward's taking me.

"Of course, that's what friends are for," Laurens laughs and we spend the next two hours making sure everything I own is packed. Jess says you never know where we might go or what we might do while we're gone.

"Okay, ladies, I've got to get my girlfriend in bed," Edward says, as he saunters into my room. "It's almost ten o'clock and we fly out at seven in the morning. With a twenty-eight hour flight ahead of us, we need to get some rest."

"Twenty-eight hours," I reply. "Twenty-eight hours? Where are we going, Edward, to the other side of the world?"

"Yes, baby, that's exactly where we're going," he says as Lauren and Jess start giggling. "Now we need to say our goodbyes, so we can get our beauty sleep. I'm going to be a bear with all of the flying we're about to do, but I wanted to make this worth it for you."

"Royce!" Lauren all but screams into my ear. "Why can't you be more like Edward?"

"Thanks, Cullen," we hear from the other room. "Next time you want to romance your woman, do it when mine isn't around," chuckles Royce.

"Thanks, Royce. Love you too, honey." Lauren smiles as she rolls her eyes. I know she loves him, and regardless of what Royce says, he thinks the world of her as well. I've got no idea how they're going to manage once they leave for school with the guys still here.

"All right, so I'll text you when we get to wherever we are going to let you know we're safe. Is that good? Girls weekend when I get back before you guys leave? Spa, dinner and a grown-up slumber party?" I question, needing confirmation.

"Abso-fucking-lutley," Jess interjects before Lauren can even nod her head, making me laugh.

"Sweet, you guys get going. I'm going to crash so I can travel with my boyfriend for the whole next day," I yawn.

**IoI**

"The alarm is set for four a.m., we should just shower and go in the morning," Edward explains as we're getting into bed. "No make-up; just throw on comfortable clothes. Everything you need is packed and ready to go, right?" he questions.

"Yes, Kindle and iPod are charged and I've got the chargers in the carry-on bag. That's allowed, right? I mean it should be since you've got your iPad," I ask while Edward laughs. "Stop laughing at me, Edward. It's been a few years since I've been out of the country," I say in mock anger.

"Sorry, baby, you're cute when you get flustered. C'mon, let's get some sleep. It's been a long day, and the next twenty-eight hours are going to be a testament of our relationship," he mumbles as he pulls me into him and wraps his arms around me.

"Night, love you," I whisper.

"Love you, too, baby. You too."

Hearing the alarm in the distance, I've got the urge to turn it off. I swear I didn't get enough sleep. Why is it going off so early?

"Turn it off," I mumble poking at Edward.

"K, baby, need sleep," he sleepily replies.

Then it hits me; vacation! We're going on vacation.

"Edward, wake up, we've got to get to the airport! We need showers; we need to get dressed, c'mon," I scream.

"Okay, baby, I'm up, I'm up," he utters, as I jump out of bed and head into the bathroom to get my shower.

As I turn the water on, waiting for it to heat up enough to jump in, I say to Edward, "If you can keep your hands to yourself, come shower with me."

"I'll try, but it'll be hard," he laughs looking down at his morning wood, already happy to see me.

"Tomorrow, Edward, tomorrow."

"No mile high club then?" he chuckles.

"Uh, no, I'm not that adventurous and I'd like to make it to our destination without being arrested," I quip.

"Fine," he says as he pouts.

"Whatever, c'mon and get in the shower so we can go."

We hurriedly take our showers, dry off and throw clothes on. Teeth brushed, bags checked and we're out the door with five minutes to spare as the car service pulls up.

We decide to get breakfast at the airport, figuring it would be easier since we have to go through security. We wanted to give ourselves extra time.

**IoI**

Pulling up to the outside kiosk to check-in for our flight, I'm nervous. I've never been on a vacation with a boyfriend before, nor out of the country without my parents. I trust Edward, but I'm still a little scared. Lucky for me, he picks up on my apprehension.

"Baby," he breathes into my ear while squeezing my hand, "it's going to be fine. I promise I won't leave you or make you uncomfortable in anyway. You trust me, right?" he questions me with sincerity in his eyes.

"With my life," I whisper.

"Well, then let's do this," he says as we step up to the counter.

Edward hands over our itineraries to the Delta attendant, while smirking at me, as I get out my passport and I.D. to hand to her.

She takes my passport and I.D., as Edward has already handed her his. "Mr. Cullen, here are the boarding passes for you and Ms. Swan. Delta hopes you enjoy your trip to Greece, and we hope to make it a pleasant experience. You do have an hour layover in New York at JFK and then a direct flight into Athens," she explains.

"Greece!" I exclaim, "Greece, my graduation present is Greece? Holy crap, I can't believe you got me a trip to Greece!"

The Delta lady smiles as she says, "Good surprise?"

I nod. "Best boyfriend, ever," I manage to get out.

"I'm so happy you're happy. I wanted to do something fun, and warm with beaches. Also, we're going to see Esme and Carlisle while we're there. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I just didn't want you to freak out," Edward volunteers.

"Your parents? We're meeting your parents? You failed to tell me this, Cullen," I whisper yell, since we're walking through the airport and I really don't want to cause a scene.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to freak out. They're going to love you, Bella. I've told them all about you. Don't worry, they'll love you," he says as he leans down to kiss my forehead.

"Edward, I'm ten years younger than you and I just graduated high school. Do you _really_ think they'll be okay with that? I don't want them to think I'm after your money or anything. I'm sure they like Tanya way more than they'll like me. Oh God, and my Dad, they know him. What are they going to think about that whole situation?" I question.

"This is why I didn't tell you, I didn't want you freaking out," he explains. "First of all, I've told Esme and Carlisle all about you, so no worries. They know you're younger, but they know I love you and most importantly, they know you helped me through a dark period of my life. They also know you've got money of your own and don't need mine," he says as he places a kiss to my forehead.

"Oh," I whisper, "I had no idea."

"I know, baby. I didn't want to scare you and I wanted to be able to do this with you and for you. They're going to love you as much as I do, now let's go get breakfast and coffee. I can't believe you're still standing with no coffee in your veins," he laughs.

"Laugh it up, Cullen, laugh it up."

As we make our way to the terminal, I realize Edward's right; I would have totally freaked out and never come this far knowing I was meeting his parents.

When we finally get to our gate, we have thirty minutes before we can start boarding. I'm ready to crash with exhaustion; thank God Edward is holding me up against his chest.

"You know I love you, baby, right?" he questions.

I nod, wondering what he's up to now as he smiles. I then hear the desk attendant over the loudspeaker.

"_Delta Flight six sixty-seven flying from Portland to JFK would like to invite our first class fliers to now board the plane."_

I feel Edward start to move, and as I look up he smiles down at me. "C'mon baby, we can board so you can get some sleep."

"Edward, they said first class, we can't board yet," I reply sleepily, wishing we were flying first class, because I'm exhausted.

"Baby Girl, we _are_ flying first class. Do you really think we'd fly halfway around the world and not fly first class?" he replies.

I think I just fell in love with him even more. Here's my boyfriend with facial piercings and full tattoo sleeves telling me we're flying first class. The look on everyone's faces as we stand to board were priceless; judgment passing over their faces just for the way he looks. The irony is he probably has more money than they could ever want in a lifetime, and he's more down to earth than anyone I know.

I get settled into my seat with a blanket and pillow. My only coherent thought before I fall asleep is Greece, here we come.

****~IoI~****

**Thanks again to my Betas, and my pre-readers . I apologize for the lateness of the chapter as well. My second Beta has gone back to work after her maternity leave, and she's in the process of moving, so she has no time to count the little piggies to the baby, let alone beta a chapter these days. Also, the fact that I'm horribly late in getting chapters to her doesn't help the process at all. (says the beta…but the beta is completely willing to take the blame for every late chapter.) **

**So, no hate if the chapters come a little later than normal. **

**As always, thank you all for reading and reviewing. You guys amaze me with the love you have given me.**

**Xoxo**


	26. Chapter 26

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

I crash as soon as the plane takes off. I hadn't realized how tired I was, until I hear Edward nudging me awake, telling me we're landing.

"Baby, baby, wake-up, we've landed and we need to get to our connecting flight," Edward coos softly in my ear.

"Okay if I must," I say groggily, earning a chuckle from him.

"Yes, you must. We slept through the meal that was offered, so we'll grab something on the way to the concourse to our connection. Is that cool? We only have an hour in between, so we need to be quick about it," he explains.

"Yep, cool with me."

As we make our way out of the plane, we realize that we have to walk to get to the International terminal for our connecting flight. Thank God it's not that far; I really don't want to walk all over the place. I realize that I'm starving, so of course, I'm irritable at everyone.

"Look, there's a Balducci's, how's that?" Edward asks, as he points to a sandwich deli. "That's usually where I eat when I'm traveling. I get the Italian Panini, but they have a pretty good club as well. The Santa Fe is good, but messy, so I'd stick with something easy."

"I'll have the club; that sounds good. Oh and chips, I must have chips as well," I inform him as I see the selection is huge. "I want cheddar and sour cream now, but can we also get a bag of the salt and vinegar for the plane?"

He chuckles as he nods his head in agreement, "Yes baby, we can get you some snack foods for the plane as well."

I find a little table to sit at while Edward pays for our food. We've got about fifteen to twenty minutes to eat, before we've got to board again. I'm anxious to get back in the air; my belly is nearly full and I've slept, so I think I'm going to read. There's a book series I want to start. It's about a girl that falls in love with an alien, but she doesn't know he's an alien until he saves her life. Jess and Lauren both raved about the author, Jennifer something or other. So, the whole series is loaded on my Kindle; I can't wait.

"What're you over there smiling about, sweet girl?" Edward questions, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Just excited to get caught up on some reading," I reply. "And having it not be something for school, but something that's fun and that I actually want to read."

"Ahhh, well I'm glad to see it's the simple things that make you happy, and not taking a vacation or anything," he jokes.

"Whatever, Edward, I've worked my ass off these last few months; I deserve a break. A break I'm glad to be taking with you. I'm excited to spend uninterrupted time with you at that. Beaches, sightseeing, dinners among some other private things," I tease.

"Most definitely, baby girl, most definitely," he replies waggling his eyebrows. "C'mon, it should be about time to board."

Throwing our trash away, we make our way to the gate for our final destination flight. I'm so excited; I'm almost bouncing up and down. Thank God I don't have chocolate in my take along snacks; excitement and a sugar high, Edward would want to toss me from the plane for sure.

Settling back with my Kindle and a blanket, I prepare myself for the long flight ahead. I'm excited really start our vacation, and even though the excitement carries over into the fact that I will be meeting his parents, I can't help but be nervous about that.

**IoI**

Taxing on the runway, I'm jarred awake by the sudden movement of the plane. Looking over at Edward, he's still dead asleep; it didn't even disturb him one bit.

"Edward," I whisper quietly while shaking him, "Edward wake up, we're here."

"Huh, wha-oh we've landed," he says sleepily, as I giggle.

"Yes, baby, we're here. C'mon, let's get ourselves together so we can get off this plane and I can be closer to a shower," I decide, as I right myself in my seat.

As soon as we pull up to our gate, Edward and I have everything packed up and ready to go. All we have to get is our overhead items as soon as we can stand. Thank God we are here; this flight felt like it took forever.

"Welcome to Athens, where it's sunny and eighty-five today. We hope you enjoy your stay and thank you for flying Delta," the captain spoke overhead. Edward and I stand up and stretch as he grabs our overhead carry-ons.

"Come on, baby, let's get to baggage claim, we've got a car waiting on us," he yawns. "When we get to the hotel, we can shower, sleep or grab a bite to eat. Sound good?" he asks.

"Yes! Shower, food and then sleep in a bed," I answer. "Sounds so good."

Our walk to baggage claim felt like it took an hour, yet, in reality, it was only fifteen minutes tops. I think we both are exhausted and ready to crash.

As we wait for our luggage, Edward's phone rings, "Hello? Yeah, we're here. No, Ma, we don't want to come over today. We literally just landed twenty minutes ago. No, what we're planning is to hit the hotel, shower, eat and then get some much needed sleep," he explains.

Damn, she didn't waste any time at all. Though from what I understand, she hasn't seen him in more than six months, so I guess I can understand the urgency. Although, I don't know how I will manage this meeting; I'm already freaked out with her only on the phone..

Edward looks over at me while I have my internal meltdown. "Mom, you're going to love her. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I promise I'll share her with you, but right now, she looks like a deer in headlights. Can I call you in a few hours after Bella and I've had some sleep? Yes, I love you, too. Bye."

"Ummmm," is my intelligent reply to his conversation.

"Ummm what, baby? I think we'll have dinner with them in a couple of days. For now, I'm not really ready to share you at the moment, Miss Swan," he whispers, as he folds his arms around me.

"Okay, I think I can do, yes, that I can do," I mumble almost incoherently, still focused on the fact I'm going to met Edward's parents.

"Baby, she' going to love you. They both will, no worries, okay? My parents are awesome. Yes we've our ups and downs, but they're cool, I promise. Look, here's our luggage," he says to me, as he walks over and starts picking up suitcases.

God, why did I let Lauren and Jess talk me into bringing so much crap? Oh well, it's too late to do anything about it now.

"Edward, do you want me to get one of those luggage carriers?" I ask as he keeps taking bags off the carousel.

"Yeah, baby girl, that would be great. I didn't realize you were moving here," he smirks.

"Whatever."

I quickly find a luggage porter, and take it to Edward. It's then that I realize I've only got one big suitcase and two small ones, other than my carry-on, where as Edward has two big suitcases and two small ones.

"Um, Mr. Cullen, you've got more luggage than I do, and here you are bitching at me." I retort.

"Yeah, well there are things that Esme wanted me to bring; that's the only reason why," he states.

"Yeah, yeah, c'mon and let's go. I'm really ready for a shower, Edward."

Making our way to the entrance of Athens International, I see an older gentleman holding a sign with the name 'Masen'. He is tall, slender and has the most unique shade of blonde hair.

"That's us," Edward leans down to tell me. As I look up to argue about the name, he puts his finger over his lips before I can say a word.

"Caius?" Edward asks. "I'm so sorry I missed you on my last couple of visits. Esme said you needed a much needed vacation from her and Carlisle. It's good to see you."

"Mr. Masen? It's been too long, sir. Your mother said you would be arriving and sent me to fetch you," the older man explains to Edward.

"Caius, it's Edward, please, call me Edward. Bella," he turns to find me, "this is Caius, my parent's driver. He's been with them since the beginning of time, I swear. Caius, this is my girlfriend, Bella," he says back to Caius.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Bella," Caius says.

"Bella, just Bella," I say.

Edward claps his hands together, "Okay then, now that that's out of the way, Caius, we're staying at the Plaza Resort Anavyssos. Would you please be so kind to drop us of there, so we can relax for awhile? Are you with us for the duration of our stay, or just today?"

"Just today, Mr-Edward. Your mother insisted I pick you both up. I know you have a hired car and I figure you and Bella would want some alone time as well," Caius observes, probably taking note of the love struck expressions on our faces.

"Good, I was worried Esme would steamroll me into what she wanted and not what I wanted. Lead the way and we'll follow," Edward tells him.

**IoI**

As we arrive at our hotel, I'm nothing short of amazed at the beauty. The hotel itself is only about four floors, but the backdrop of the ocean takes my breath away. I know this has to be costing Edward a small fortune and I'm trying not to freak out, but damn.

"Edward, this is gorgeous. I can't believe we get to stay here," I say looking all over, trying to take in all the beautiful sites in front of me.

"Well, I've got a small confession to make," he replies looking sheepish. "I always stay here when I come to visit Carlisle and Esme. I thought you would enjoy it as well. Here we've got a pool and beaches, not to mention the shopping. I figured you would want to do some of that as well. But before any of that, let's get unpacked, showered and then take a nap. I'm exhausted from all the travel."

Caius pulls the car to a stop in front of the hotel, and steps out of the car to open my door. I think to myself that I could get used to this, though it's kind of weird.

"Thank you, Caius," I say quietly. I'm just so overwhelmed with the whole situation; the travel and being with Edward.

"Of course, Miss Bella," he replies as he turns to Edward, who is getting out of the car. "Mr. Edward, your mother knows that you hired a car service, but she asked me to let you know I'm here if you need me."

"I know, Caius. I wouldn't think she would do anything less. Bella and I will be fine for now. We're going to get cleaned up, nap and grab a bite to eat in the hotel. Thank you, as always, for your service and company," Edward tells him as he turns to grab my hand.

We walk into the hotel lobby, a porter already having handled our luggage, while Edward and Caius were talking. If I thought the outside of the hotel was something to gawk over, it's nothing compared to the inside. There are sleek, white walls, with modern Mediterranean furniture in deeps blues and browns. I'm almost scared to touch anything for fear I'll mess it up.

Edward must pick up on my apprehension, "C'mon, baby girl, it's cool; they're like family." He whispers into my ear, as we walk to the reception desk.

"Mr. Cullen, so nice to see you again," an older gentleman says to Edward. As they shake hands, he looks over at me, "And who is this beauty we have here?"

"Bella, I'd like for you to meet Mr. Delis, he's the general manager of the hotel. Mr. Delis, this is my girlfriend, Bella. She'll be with me the duration of my stay. Please make sure she is treated as well, if not better, than your staff treats me," Edward says to Mr. Delis, though he looks at me the whole time smiling.

"Very well. Your room is ready and Nico has already taken your luggage up for you. Please enjoy your stay and let me know if there is anything I can personally do to make your stay more enjoyable. Bella, it is a pleasure," Mr. Delis says, as he hands Edward the keys to our room.

Making our way to the elevator, I remark, "They treat you like you own the place or something."

Edward smiles and says, "I do."

Okay, _so_ _not_ expecting those words to come out of his mouth. Before I even have a chance to question him, the elevator doors open and he sweeps me up and pulls me in tight.

**IoI**

We have a corner room on the fourth floor. As soon as Edward opens the door, I see the ocean. Before us, there's a whole wall of windows. It's gorgeous and I feel as though I can see for miles.

"So, does it meet your approval, baby girl?" Edward asks, as he comes to stand behind me.

"Better than any dream I could ever have." I turn to look up at him. "You've completely blown me away with my graduation gift. Thank you." I step up on my tippy toes to give him a kiss.

"Now, can we take a shower and then sleep for awhile? I'm exhausted and I'm sure you are as well," I say while taking off my shirt slowly. I'm too tired for sex, but I'll take a shower with Edward any day of the week.

"You're incorrigible, you know that, right?" he asks as he starts to follow me to the bathroom, taking his clothes off along the way.

"Only with you, baby, only with you," I say slyly, as I turn back to look at him over my shoulder.

"Mine, only mine."

"Always."

****~IoI~****

**Thanks again to my Betas, and my pre-readers. **

**You guys amaze me. I'm humbled by the amount of attention my story has received. Thank you for all of your love and support.**

**Xoxo**


	27. Chapter 27

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

I'm awakened from my sleep by the feel of Edward's hand dipping into my panties. As I snuggle back closer into him, I feel his erection.

"Edward," I breathe out quietly, trying to get his hand and fingers where I really want them the most.

"What, baby, what do you want?" he huskily asks, while gently slipping his fingers into my folds.

"You, I want you, please," I moan. Right at that moment, he dips his middle finger deep inside me. I gasp at the sudden intrusion, but feel the welcome rush of moisture.

Edward alternates pumping his finger slow and then fast inside me, before adding another finger. As he pushes his fingers in and out, he takes his thumb and circles my clit.

I'm so close. I can feel my orgasm building as I let out a loud moan.

"Edward, please," I moan into my pillow.

"What, baby? Do you want my cock? Do you want my cock to fill that pussy? Huh, baby," he whispers into my ear. He slowly slides his fingers out and rolls me over to my back; spreading my legs to slide in between them.

"God, baby, I'll never get tired of feeling you around me. You fit me like a glove," he says as he slowly slides in and out; picking up speed.

I'm so overwrought with bliss; I'm speechless, and all I can do is enjoy us joined together. I can feel my orgasm starting to build and I want it bad, so I move my hand to where we're joined to touch myself.

"So fucking hot; I love when you touch yourself," he pants as he slams into me, almost banging my head into the headboard.

"Edward, I'm close, so close," I whisper.

"Come for me, baby, let me see you come for me," he urges. It's at that moment I lose myself to him, and he follows shortly after me.

Turning to look at him, "Well that's certainly a great way to wake up from a nap, Mr. Cullen," I sigh.

"Most definitely; I think we could both get used to that, huh?" he asks, as I nod, right about the time my stomach growls. "Well, Ms. Swan, maybe we should get some food in you, since you're going to need all of your energy for later," he says; wagging his eyebrows.

"Haha, yeah, _my energy_. You're going to need _your energy_, old man," I tease as I sit up, trying to right my t-shirt that I slept in.

"Old man my ass," he laughs. "C'mon, let's see what's on the menu from room service and we won't even have to leave. Unless you want to go somewhere?" he questions, almost as an afterthought.

"No, I'm good here. Besides, I'm pretty sure once I've got food in my belly I will crash again."

**IoI**

Sure enough, we both crash as soon as we finish the gyros and fries we ordered. I wake before Edward this time. As I open my eyes, slowly taking in the sights of the beach, I know as soon as he wakes up, we have to go down there, even if only for a short while.

Slowly, I climb out of bed and pad my way into the bathroom; jetlag is going to kill me. We'd already taken two naps today and my body still felt like I should still be asleep, but my mind wants to go sightseeing. I know that we're going to be here for a month, but I want to take in as much as possible.

"Baby, where'd you go?" I hear Edward mumbling in the other room.

"I'm in the bathroom, I didn't go far," I chuckle, "don't worry."

"Okay," he says sleepily.

When I finally walk back into the bedroom, Edward is asleep again. Not wanting to disturb him, I grab my Kindle and phone, before making my way to the deck. It's still early, so I can at least read a bit and get some sun in while he sleeps.

Looking down at my phone, I realize I forgot to tell anyone we made it here safely. There are four voice mails and twenty texts from a combination of Lauren, Jess, Jake and Sue.

"Shit," I whisper, I don't really want to call them right now; it's the middle of the night back home. I text them all at once; that should suffice until we can chat for a few moments later on.

_We're here safely, sorry I forgot to call - love you all ~ B _

Sitting back in an Adirondack chair under the umbrella, I open my Kindle to finish this series I started. I want to see what happens to the alien and his human, but now half human half alien, girlfriend.

I'm totally engrossed in my novel when Edward whispers in my ear, "Hey, beautiful, were you going to let me sleep all day?"

I gasp as I turn to him, holding my hand over my heart.

"Edward Cullen, don't scare the shit out of me like that ever again," I pant. "Damn, I'm surprised I didn't scream."

"Baby B, I called your name a few times from the door. That must be one damn good book," he says as he picks up my Kindle, reading the page I'm on.

"Yeah, it is. Besides I didn't want to bother you earlier, so I came out here to read. I'm good, you know me. I don't have to have you holding my hand the whole time. Not that I would complain if you did," I add, noticing the pout on his face.

"Since you're up now, I'd like to take a shower and then maybe we can go downstairs for dinner?" I ask.

"Absolutely, but on one condition?" he asks.

"What's that?" I ask innocently, full knowing he's going to want to take a shower together.

"We conserve water and take one together," he says, giving me a knowing smile.

"Of course, baby," I say as I sit up in the chair, getting ready to make a run for it. I love the playful side of him, and I truly think it would be fuck hot if he chased me into the bathroom. Now's my chance, because he's not paying attention to me, but instead, he's looking out at the ocean.

I stand, and make a run for the bathroom, stripping off my clothes as I go. When he realizes that I left him, I hear him growl a low "Bella." This is even better, I love the caveman Edward.

I'm in the bathroom with the water heating up, when he stalks into the bathroom. "You know, baby, that's just not fair," he growls.

"What?" I ask, feigning innocence.

"Stripping as you run to the bathroom. Although, I didn't get to watch you strip, I'm so not complaining about the final package either," he says as he leans down to give me a soft kiss on my forehead.

"Now, as punishment, I think I should be able to have my way with you in the shower."

"Oh, Edward, I thought you'd never ask," I moan, as he attacks my neck with his mouth. He continues to kiss my neck as he lifts me up against the tiled bathroom wall. Holding me up with his body and one arm, he moves the other one to my dripping sex to make sure I'm ready to take him.

"Fuck, baby, always so wet for me," he groans, slamming into me. "Always so fucking good, always."

Edward continues to hold me up against the shower wall, both of us oblivious to the water spraying all around us. The feral look on his face spurns me on even more, so I start talking dirty to him.

"Fuck me, Edward, fuck me harder," I pant as he picks up speed.

"Fuck," he grits out. "I'm not going to last long with that dirty mouth of yours baby. Touch yourself for me, come on my cock."

I do as I'm asked and reach down to touch myself. The moment I do, it's all over. I squeeze Edwards dick like a vice grip, and he falls over the edge with me.

"Oh God, baby, watching you come is breathtaking," he whispers as he kisses me softly. "C'mon, let's get cleaned up so I can take my goddess to dinner."

Swoon.

God, how I love him.

**IoI**

We are in the elevator on our way to dinner when Edward looks over at me, "Bella, have I told you how happy you make me? Being with you makes me want to be a better person. Thank you for coming to Greece with me. I haven't seen my parents in almost a year, and having to sit down with them and explain my addiction isn't going to be easy," he explains. "So thanks for all of this." The smile that accompanies his words is heartwarming.

"Edward, there isn't anywhere I'd rather be, please know that. You're it for me, I'm not going anywhere."

He nods as the elevator opens on the bottom floor. He puts his hand on my lower back to guide me to The Blue Gourmet Restaurant, where we're having dinner.

"Mr. Cullen, so nice to have you for dinner this evening," the hostess says almost too friendly for my taste. Does she not see his arm around me? I glare at her as Edward says he'll have his usual table.

He chuckles as he pulls my chair out for me, "Bella, you're mine, and baby I belong to you always. Don't let her bother you, okay?"

I glare up at him, "Then, please, tell me why she was looking at you like you were her dessert?"

"It's in the past, and you sweet girl are my present and my future. That's all that matters. Now, let's look over the menu, so we can decide what to have for dinner," he replies softly, all while holding my hand.

"Okay," I say while taking in the scenery around us. Edward rushed me earlier while I was getting dressed. He said we had to make it in time for the sunset. The green-blue water with the pinkish orange sky was breathtaking.

"Edward," I sputter, taking in the beauty in front of me.

He smirks at me and says, "I know."

While we look over our menu, Edward orders us some Dakos and Garides Saganaki, until we decide what we want, or really what I want. When I question him what he ordered, he explained that the Dakos is a type of salad and the Garides Saganaki is shrimp with feta cheese.

Both sound divine, so I'm excited to try the dishes. Edward also orders us a bottle of wine, after assuring me I'm above legal age and him having a glass or two wouldn't hinder any progress he's made. I believe him, so I don't question it further.

I realize at that moment he hasn't spoken with his therapist while we've been here, and we've been traveling for a day and half beforehand. I decide to question him about this before I forget.

"Bella, I've emailed her to let her know what was going on and how I've been doing. I'll even make sure to let her know I had wine with dinner. Though, I hardly think she'll care, but if it makes you feel better, then there should no issue. Other than that, can we enjoy our dinner? I promise I'll keep you abreast of any changes, but I'm not quite ready to spill every detail of my therapy," he explains.

I nod, letting the subject drop. Thank God, because right at that moment our appetizers appear and we dig right in.

Dinner is smooth sailing after that. Edward asks me to take a walk on the beach with him. It's quite romantic, and afterward, we stop at Au Bar after our walk to have a late dessert and coffee. It is the perfect ending to a perfect day.

When we get back to our room, Edward growls at me to get ready for bed. He's exhausted and ready for sleep. Mentally, I'm retracing my steps thinking what I did to set him off; why does he seem pissed?

Walking out of the bathroom, he all but pounces on me, throwing me back onto the bed. "Bella, you're mine and I hate that anyone else gets to look at what's mine," he growls.

Oh my.

As Edward starts kissing my neck, he keeps chanting, "Mine!"

"Edward, not that I'm complaining, but where's this coming from?" I pant.

"Those assholes in the bar, grazing at what's mine," he says, as he starts kissing me lower on my body. Lifting my shirt over my head, he rotates between kissing each of my breasts, as his hands make their way down to the apex of my thighs.

"Oh, Edward," I whisper.

"Mine," is the only response I receive.

****~IoI~****

**Thanks again to my Betas, and my pre-readers.**

**As always thank you for reading.**

**xox**


	28. Chapter 28

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is** **merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

Today was the day, and I was trying not to freak the fuck out. I'd heard about Esme and Carlisle from Edward; I knew how he felt about his parents. I just hope I live up to their expectations.

"Baby? Are you ready? The car is waiting downstairs to take us to Casa de Masen," Edward jokes, as he rolls up the sleeves on his drool worthy button down. I swear whoever thought of putting together khaki cargos and a white linen button down shirt for a man was a genius; I could literally kiss them.

Edward has the sleeves folded up to his forearms; his tattoos peeking out on just that little bit of skin. It's beyond a turn on. I start to daydream of all of the things I'd like to do to him at that moment.

"Babe?" Edward says as he snaps me back to reality. "Are you okay over there? You're all flushed; is it too hot in here?"

I giggle as I reply, "You could say that."

He looks at me like I've lost my mind, and mutters under his breath, "Okay." Boys, they just don't get it; he's hot and thank God he's mine.

"I'm ready, so let's go now before I chicken out," I tell him as I walk toward the door; looking back to see if he's following me.

"Bella, they're going to love you, I promise. Don't worry, besides, Esme knows I'd never bring you here if I wasn't serious about you."

Serious about me? That also scares me. He has a child with Tanya, and even though she and I are cool, I worry sometimes. What if Esme likes Tanya better than she me? Will she be nice to me? What if she thinks I'm only with Edward for his money? Will they think I'm too young for him?

"Bella," I hear him whisper. As I look up into those green eyes, he smiles at me, "Baby, calm down, she's going to love you. Stop over thinking and over analyzing the situation, okay?"

I nod, he knows me so well. But, I know Edward, and I know he's nervous as well. He hasn't had a drink, nor wanted to be around alcohol until last night. On top of that, he didn't want to talk about anything with me. We always talk about his therapy; what's going on, how he feels and when things are too much.

This worries me, but I don't want to freak out completely. I'm sure there's a reason for it, and I want to push, but I don't want him to revert back to his old self. I think I'll see how he handles today and go from there.

Making our way to the lobby, I'm once again blown away by the beauty of our surroundings. I could so see myself living here and being happy. Life just seems to flow at a slower, less stressful pace. I'm sure the employees of the hotel would disagree; this is their busy season and this place seems to stay busy.

"Bella," Edward says, pulling me along behind him. I guess my daydreaming is making him impatient. "Babe, what's going on in that head of yours today?" he chuckles.

"I, uh, I'm just taking it all in," I reply slightly embarrassed, caught daydream again. "It's just so beautiful here. I could see myself living here year round."

"Well, if that's something you want, we could always look into it. Just so you know, I don't think Esme would complain one bit," he replies, as we make our way to the car waiting for us on the curb.

"Mr. Cullen, good morning. My name is Spirro and I'll be your driver for your stay. It is my understanding you are traveling to Kifisia today?" Spirro asks Edward and me.

"Good morning, and yes we're going to visit the Masen's," Edward tells him.

"Very good, Mr. Cullen, that is about an hour drive from here; about fifty kilometers. Please," he opens the car door and motions us to get in, "once you are settled in, we will be on our way."

As Edward and I get comfortable for the ride ahead, I try not to focus on my anxiety of meeting his parents and take in the countryside instead.

"Bella," Edward whispers to me while I'm looking out the window, taking in the green of the countryside.

I look over at him to see a questioning look on his face, "Yeah?"

"Calm down, sweetheart. It'll be okay. You're so stiff; I'm scared if I touch you, you'll break in half," he says, giving me a knowing smile.

"I'm trying, really I'm trying," I reply.

"Just relax, sit back, and enjoy the scenery."

That I do, because the next thing I know, Edward is waking me telling me we've arrived.

**IoI**

Edward's parent's house is not at all what I was expecting; it's so much more. The house in front of me is almost as big as the hotel we're staying in. Now I see why Edward referred to it as Casa de Masen; it fits.

"Wow," I whisper, as I stare at the house in front of me. I stare at the white marble stairs, which lead to the front door surrounded by gorgeous flowers; climbing vines and lush bushes. I thought the hotel was amazing, but this house puts it to shame.

"I know it's huge, isn't it? They had it built especially for them and Esme decorated it to her taste. C'mon, let's get inside before she comes running out the doo-" He doesn't get the final word out of his mouth before the door flies open. An older woman who I swear could pass as Edward's sister comes running down the stairs.

"Edward, it's been way too long," she tells him, taking him in her arms. "Please don't make me wait this long again."

Edward chuckles, "All right, Ma, I promise. Let me introduce you-"

"Bella," she confirms, as she takes me in her arms and hugs me. "You're even more beautiful than he said. I'm so happy you're here. I wish you both would stay here at the house with us," she hints, looking over at Edward, who has a sheepish look.

"Ma, I told you we're on vacation. I knew if I brought Bella here, you'd hog her the whole time and I wouldn't get to spend any time with her," he explains. "And being at the Plaza, we're on the beach, and yes, I know you've got the pool, before you mention it in an attempt to keep us here."

"Well, I guess I can understand, but still, I haven't seen my baby boy in a year. My feelings are hurt," she says jokingly.

"Okay, Ma, where's dad? Did you run him over trying to get out here?"

"No, he's coming. He was on the phone when you guys drove up. Come on; let's get you into the house. I had Sandrine make us some lunch, I thought we could eat on the patio by the pool, yes?" she questions looking to both of us for approval.

"Sounds good. Lead the way, Ma," Edward replies, looking over and smiling at me mouthing 'I told you so'.

**IoI**

Edward pushes his plate back on the table, and pats his stomach. "Sandrine, that was amazing as always, thank you," he says to the older woman who's now clearing our dishes off the table.

"Thank you, Mr. Edward; I'm glad you enjoyed it. Ms. Esme, will there be anything else? If not I'll do these dishes and be back later."

"Sandrine, we're fine, go for the day. I can take care of dinner and if not, we'll order out," Esme tells her. "Spend some time with that grandbaby, they grow up too fast," she says to Sandrine, as she side eyes Edward. Probably giving him a hint she hasn't seen Emma in a while.

"Thank you, ma'am," she says to Esme. As she turns to Edward, she has the biggest smile on her face, "Mr. Edward you've grown to be a fine boy, I'm glad," she pauses and looks over to me, "that you've found someone to share your life with and makes you happy."

I'm speechless as I sit here watching the dynamic of what's going on. Edward chuckles and nods his head in agreeance; Esme beams at what Sandrine said, and Carlisle whom I've learned is quite quiet smiles at the whole situation.

"Ma? I've got to talk to you and Dad seriously about some things. I'm not sure how you're going to feel or if you're going to like me so much when this is over," Edward tells them. I notice they both look at one another and then back to Edward waiting for him to begin.

"After Tanya left, I had some problems; I got caught up with the wrong people..."

I've heard this story, so I tune him out. I don't want or need to hear it all again.

**IoI**

"Edward, I'm going to steal Bella for a little while, okay? Sit and chat with your father," Esme tells him, wiping the tears from her eyes.

I'm proud of him; I know that was hard for him. Telling his parents he was in rehab for a drug problem and that he's trying to get his life back together took immense courage. They of course were disappointed, but were also glad he has gotten help and now understand why he hasn't been to visit in so long.

"Bella," Esme starts as she leads me inside, to a small sitting room off the side of the kitchen. "Sweetheart, how did you fall into all of this with him?"

"Well, I met him through a mutual friend, and I must say, the first time I saw him I just knew," I whisper shyly looking at her. I don't want to come across as some innocent, shy schoolgirl, but in some respects, that's exactly what I am.

"I knew he was bad news from the start, but I couldn't help myself. He was demanding, arrogant and a complete ass. Sorry," I apologize once I realize what I've said. "I know he's your son, but he was such a jerk. I fell in love with him before I even knew about all of the problems. I told him he had to figure those out, and I'd stand beside him and support him. I couldn't bear not to be with him; regardless of anything I ever said. That girl though," I shudder at the thought of Emily, "that girl, I can't stand. I never want to see her again. To my knowledge, she hasn't been around since he's been out of rehab. But I'm sure she'll be back, and I've got no idea how Edward's going to handle it," I explain.

"He doesn't handle stress very well; he snapped at me the other night, when we got here, after I questioned him about having wine with dinner," I stop talking, realizing I'm telling Edward's mother all of our secrets. I barely know her and I'm spilling my guts.

"Esme, I'm so sorry; I shouldn't be telling you all of these things. I don't want you to think badly of Edward; he's an amazing person. I just don't want him to fall off the wagon; I don't think I could handle it. It killed me the first time, and with everything going on with my Dad, the stress of worrying about him..." I trail off looking at her, waiting to see what she'll say.

"Bella, sweetie, I completely understand. I know you care about him; I see it in your face. I see the way you look at each other. I've never seen Edward look at anyone like that before, not even Tanya in all of the years they were together," she explains.

"I'm sure he's been stressed over telling his father and me what's he's done. It must have been eating at him. I'm sure he was scared of our disappointment, but what he fails to realize is we love him unconditionally. Do I like the choices he made, no of course not. Am I glad he got help and seems to want to continue in getting help, of course.

"We're a family, and this is what families do for one another. As far as I'm concerned, you're family now, too. I've got no doubt Edward would agree. Now come, let's see what those boys are up to. Maybe we can sit around and relax."

**IoI**

"Um, Edward, I talked to your mom earlier," I inform him, as we stand in one of their guest rooms changing into our swimsuits to go lounge by the pool before dinner.

"That's cool; I figured you guys would talk. I told you she would like you and you were worried about nothing, weren't you?" he asked.

"No, you don't understand," I hesitate. I have no idea how he's going to take me talking to his mom about our private life. I'm not one to share those things, ever, but with Esme I'm suddenly an open book.

"What do you mean?" he questions with uncertainty in his voice.

"I talked to her about you and me; Emily and how you and I got together kinda of thing," I whisper to him. "I didn't mean to Edward, it just came tumbling out as soon as she asked how we met. I'm sorry, I didn't tell her anything she didn't know, just my take and how I feel. I told her I was worried about you; that you haven't been doing your therapy like you said you would–" at this he stops pacing and stares at me. I feel the anger rolling off of him.

Fuck.

"Bella," he grits out, "we've been here for what, two fucking days? I spent all day yesterday fucking you. So how the hell was I supposed to email my fucking therapist when my cock was in you most of the day? Hmmm? Tell me?"

Oh God, he's pissed, "Uhh, I don't know, I'm sorry," I whimper. I won't cry. I won't; I can handle this. I want to be honest. "Edward, I just wanted you to know so you wouldn't be blindsided if she says something."

"Fine, whatever, I need a few minutes alone. Since you and my mother are so buddy buddy, why don't you go find her. You guys can hang out for awhile," he sneers at me, as he walks out the door and slams it behind him.

Well shit, I wanted to be honest with him. He can be pissed all he wants, but sometimes I've got to get things off my chest as well. This isn't easy for me either. I didn't plan on telling Esme. I can't quite confide everything to Jess and Lauren, as they're my best friends, who are dating Edward's business partners and friends. It would be a huge conflict. Plus, they don't know everything, where Esme does.

Sometimes I have to get the things I'm holding in, out; and to someone who won't judge Edward. Fuck him; if he's pissed about that, he'll get over it. I didn't betray his trust; I'm just scared, and the thing that scares me is what just happened. Him losing his temper over something I said and then him turning to other vices to bring his anger back down.

I push myself off the bed and finish changing into my bikini; deciding I'm not going to let him ruin my day. We came to see his parents and to spend time with them, and that's what I'm going to do.

Making my way to the kitchen, I only get lost once; which isn't bad considering this house has to be like ten thousand square feet. I hear Esme talking to Carlisle about dinner and what we should order and from where. I take it she can cook, but really doesn't like to, so Sandrine does most of it for them.

"Hey," I say quietly as I walk into the kitchen. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" I ask.

"No, not at all, we're just trying to figure out what to do for dinner. Where's Edward?" she asks looking behind me.

"Umm, he had some things to take care of, he'll be down shortly," I reply not looking either of them in the eye. "I'm going to go lay out by the pool and relax, if that's okay?"

"Yes, honey, by all means go," Esme tell me.

I'm embarrassed. I really like Edward's parents and I don't want them to think badly of me. I decide, as I take a seat on one of the lounge chairs, that I'm on vacation and I'm going to make the best of the situation. I know how Edward can be, and he's been grouchy the last couple of days. Maybe he's just tired, like me, from traveling. I decide to give him the benefit of the doubt. I always said I'd be honest, and I was, regardless of whether he would pissed or not.

The sun is warm, shining down on me as I apply sunscreen. I decide I'll just lie here quietly, until Edward comes to find me. If Esme comes out first, I'll pretend to be asleep, so I don't say anything else to piss my boyfriend off.

**IoI**

I awaken to soft voices talking and I hear my name. I try to keep my breathing even so they won't know I'm awake.

"Carlisle, I'm telling you something happened; she was so relaxed earlier. I'll smack him if he said something to upset her. She's got a lot going on in her life and Edward doesn't need to give her shit," Esme explains.

"Es, give him some time and don't be so hard on him. He bore his soul to us today; told us things he's not proud of," Carlisle tells her.

"I get that, but Bella, she's special. She's not Tanya. Edward looks at her like the sun rises and sets around her. She's good for him, and I really like her."

"I know, Es, I know. He needs someone to keep him in line. Do you think even at her age she's okay with what he wants in life?" he questions.

"Carlisle Masen, how dare you ask that? That boy is head over heels in love with her. He told me once he gets his shit together, he's going to ask her to marry him. He knows she's only eighteen, and he knows she wants to go to college, but I think he'll follow her wherever she goes. She needs to live as well, Edward's not stupid."

I knew this, Edward's told me how he feels, and I feel the same way about him.

"Come on, before we wake her up. I know they had a disagreement; He's been cooped up in that library for a couple hours now. I went to check on him and he told me he was fine," she informs Carlisle. "Whatever that means, I don't know. Let's go have a glass of wine before dinner and hope these two sort this out."

I hear them walking off toward the house from the sounds of their footsteps. I guess Edward is sulking in the library because I upset him. Part of me wants to go find him and apologize; the other part says to let him come find me. I decide to wait it out; if he wants me he'll come to me.

As I shift to get comfortable, I hear footsteps coming my way. "Bella," he whispers softly. I refuse to open my eyes just yet, so I pretend to still be asleep.

"Baby, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm not upset and I'm glad you can talk to Esme. She's a good person, Bella; it just caught me off guard. God, I'm such an idiot. I swear I could fuck up a wet dream." I hear him say to himself as he gets up to walk away.

"Edward," I whisper as I open my eyes.

He turns back around and looks at me. His sadness was evident in the way he was looking at me. "Bella, I'm sorry I was a dick. I'm not mad at you; please don't be mad with me. I'm sorry I snapped; this is just harder than I realized. The stress of telling my parents and trying to handle everything is hard. I emailed my therapist while I was up there and told her how I'm feeling and what's going on," he explains.

"Good, I'm glad. Now I do have one thing to say," I whisper, crooking my finger so he'll come closer.

"What's that, baby?" he asks as he sits down next to me on the lounger.

"You talking to me about having your cock in me all day and fucking me; huge turn-on, even if you were pissed and being an ass," I exclaim, as I stand up and walk off.

Turning back, I see Edward still sitting in the same place in complete and utter shock, mouth open.

"Just thought you should know, Cullen," I giggle, as I start walking faster toward the house, because now he's off the chair and chasing me.

"Bella, you never should've said that," he groans into my ear when he catches up to me, "because now I've got to make that a reality."

He throws me over his shoulder like he's some caveman, with me giggling as he carries me up the stairs.

Yeah, I know we need to talk and we will, but right now I'm living in the moment and enjoying my vacation.

****~IoI~****

**Thanks again to my Betas, and my pre-readers. SBP is in the process of buying a house and moving over the next couple of weeks. Although her husband says he has Comcast coming out the day they close on the house, doesn't mean they will be able to get cable hooked up that same day. (That's what she gets for buying a house from old people that never had cable wires ran.) The next chapter maybe delayed a week. I'll keep writing while she's packing and unpacking and we'll get caught up in no time. **

**Also, thanks to Miss Jude for suggesting they go to Santorini.**

**As always thank you for reading.**

**xox**


	29. Chapter 29

SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...

The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is merely coincidental.

~~IoI~~

"Bella dear, would you like to go shopping today?" Esme asks me while we're eating breakfast.

Edward and I stayed here last night. By the time dinner was finished, we were stuffed and exhausted, so we crashed in one of the many guest bedrooms.

"I'd love to," I tell her as I look over at Edward, making sure he's cool with that as well. He and I don't have plans this morning, but I want to be polite just in case.

"That'll be good; I've got some things to email about Dr. Payne anyway. So this will give me some time to get that done," Edward acknowledges, I smile remembering our conversation last night.

"_Edward, I'm worried about you. I don't want you to fall back into old habits. I don't know if I can go through that again. You've got to be open and honest with me," I explain to him as we're sitting on the couch in one of the guest rooms. _

"_I know, and I'm truly sorry for this afternoon. It's just the stress of telling my parents I'm a fuck-up isn't something I really looked forward to doing."_

"_Hey," he looks up at me with sadness in his eyes, "You are not a fuck-up, okay? So you had a couple bad years. So you used coke and have bad taste in ex-girlfriends or whatever Emily is, that doesn't make you a bad person, Edward. You were lost; you had no guidance, you were depressed and lost in yourself," I point out._

"_The same could have happened to me after all the shit with Charlie. It hasn't though, and no one's saying it won't. I'm trying to keep my head above water. I'm trying to not get lost in myself. Fuck, Edward, it happens to people every day. It happened to you, but you went to rehab, you got help and you'll continue to get help."_

"_Bella," he whispers as he reaches for me._

"_No, I love you and I won't let you fall back into yourself again. I'm selfish, Edward. I love you and I need you. But I need you healthy, so no more holding shit in because you think I can't handle it. No more, 'well, I don't want to disappoint Bella'. I'm an adult, Edward. I can fucking handle it, and if I can't, then by God I'll let you know. Get it?" I demand._

"_Yes, baby, I get it. I'll talk to Dr. Payne again tomorrow and I'll make sure if I don't speak with her daily I will email her. No more wine, and no more situations for the temptation. I hate when you're angry with me, and I know I've got to do this for myself," he explains._

"_Exactly. You, Edward, you've got to do it for you. Not for me, not for Esme, not for Carlisle and not even for Emma. You. Now, let's go to bed, I'm exhausted and I want to sleep wrapped in your arms."_

"_Anything for you, baby, anything," he whispers into my ear as he gathers me into his arms._

"Good, that's settled. Bella and I'll go into town and get some things," Esme says, eyes twinkling.

"Does that look in your eyes mean we'll be Fed-Exing items home?" Edward asks chuckling at her giddiness.

"I plead the fifth," she laughs. Edward turns to me and hands me his credit card, "Have fun, baby, and remember you only have so much closet space at home."

I start to refuse his card, but Esme interrupts me, "Bella, take it, he's never shared that before." Looking over at Edward he nods in agreement.

"Sweet, but I'll make sure I get you some things as well," I exclaim as Esme and I make our way to the door. "See you later. I promise I won't spend too much," I laugh.

"Baby, you're with Ma, I'm not even going to look at the statement. Just have fun," he says, kissing my forehead.

**IoI**

And fun we had; four hours later and about five thousand euros lighter. We make our way out of the car and Caius helps with our bags. The trunk is stuffed full; I swear Esme and I bought out every store we went into.

Making our way up the front stairs, carrying our many bags, Edward walks out and laughs, "Have fun?" he asks. I nod; I'm too exhausted for words.

"Here, let me take these from you," he says, reaching to take the bags out of my hands. "Damn Bella, did you buy the whole store?"

"Uhhh," is the only answer I can muster at the moment. He laughs as he carries my bags into the house and comes back for more.

"Bella and I had a splendid time at the shops," Esme croons to Edward. "She's every mother's dream; a girl that likes to shop and doesn't tell me no. I love her, Edward. I don't think I'll let her go back to the States with you."

"Ma," Edward laughs, "you realize she's standing right here. She _can_ hear you." He looks at me and grins, then looks back to his mother and says, "I'm glad to know that you feel that way about her though."

I smile at the two of them. I love the dynamic of their relationship. Esme loves Edward; he truly is the apple of her eye and he feels the same about her. It's understandable why he didn't want to disappoint them.

They love him for him. They don't care that he makes his living being a tattoo artist. All they want is for Edward to truly be happy. I should be jealous since I don't have this with my own father, but I feel as though I got a set of parents with his, and that's just as good.

"C'mon, let's grab some lunch; you've got to be starving after all of that shopping," Edward insists, taking my hand, dragging me to the kitchen.

"Yes, actually I am, although we did have coffee and a snack earlier," I tell him, as I sit at the counter and watch my boyfriend take out all the ingredients to make me a gyro.

"I swear I'm going to gain ten pounds from eating all of this food while we're here," I joke to Edward.

"Nah, baby, I'll make sure you work it off, "Edward quips, waggling his eyebrows.

"Edward Masen, watch your mouth," Esme exclaims as she walks into the kitchen. I know she's not upset because she's trying to hide her smile.

"Ma, it's Cullen and it's been Cullen for almost ten years now," he protests, ignoring everything else she said. "C'mon, let's eat; Bella and I gotta get back sometime today. I'm taking her to Santorini for a couple days as well."

"Oh, Bella, it's so beautiful there; you'll love it," Esme says, taking a seat next to me.

"Well, I'm just grateful I've got the opportunity to do all of this. If it wasn't for Edward, I don't know if I would've ever done it myself," I point out, as the two of them smile at one another and then me.

"Okay, foods ready," Edward says, setting down a plate in front of me with the biggest gyro I've ever seen and a side of chips. "Damn, Edward; I'm hungry, but not enough hungry enough to feed a small country," I laugh.

"Eat up, baby, eat up," he says as he takes a bite of his. "So, I talked to Dr. Payne for a couple of minutes. We decided I'll email her daily with what's going on, and how I feel about things." Edward explains. "Then when we get home, she'd like us to go to therapy together once a week to discuss any issues we've got and how things are for us as a couple. Is that cool with you?" he questions me.

"Yes, baby, I think it's a good idea. Besides, with all of the crap with Charlie going on lately, I've thought about going to therapy myself. So, this works good for me," I explain.

"Not that's it's any of my business, but I think it'll do both of you some good," Esme interjects. Damn, I forgot she was standing there.

"I agree with your mother, Edward, I think it'll be good for both of you," Carlisle adds.

"Thanks, Ma and Dad," Edward responds quietly, his eyes never leaving mine. This is good; his parents are amazing and so understanding. Sue will love them, and them her; I can't wait to introduce them. I need to call her, email her or something; I miss her and the boys.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

"I just realized how much I miss Sue, and I haven't spoken to her since got here. I sent everyone that text and that's it; nothing else. I've been having so much fun," I reply trying to keep the tears at bay. I'm such an emotional person. I swear I cry when I'm happy, sad or mad.

"Well, you can text or call her later tonight from the hotel. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear from you, and then tomorrow we're going to Santorini," he exclaims.

"Okay, enough heavy talk. Let's go lounge by the pool for a couple hours before you guys have to leave," Carlisle says.

"Sounds good to me, I could use a nap," I quip, making everyone laugh.

**IoI**

We get back to the hotel late, but having had such an amazing time with Esme and Carlisle I didn't want to leave. I know we'll be seeing them again before we head home, so no worries.

"I'm going to call Sue before we go to bed, if that's okay with you," I inform Edward as soon as we walk into our room.

"Cool, I'm going to take a shower, so take your time," he answers while taking his shirt off.

"Well, I could take a shower with you and then call her," I surmise.

"Baby girl, we both know if you do that, you'll never call her, because I'll never let you leave my arms after that. Call Sue, you need her."

"Okay, you're right, go shower," I tell him as I turn to grab my phone and walk out onto the balcony.

Scrolling through my phone I find her name and hit send. It rings twice before she picks up.

"_Hello? Bella?"_

"Hey!" I exclaim. "How are you guys? I miss you so much, but I'm having so much fun."

"_We're good, sweetie. We're still at my parents. The boys are having a blast; I don't think they want to go home just yet. You're dad calls them daily, so it's not like they've had a chance to miss him yet. I don't speak to him, but he talks to them, so that's good. What about you? What've you and Edward been up to? Are you taking pictures of everything?" _she babbles.

"I'm having a great time. We're staying at the Plaza right on the beach. Edward owns it. I had no idea until we got here. It's amazing, Sue. You'll have to come; it's gorgeous, and I met his parents. They live in Greece about an hour from where we're staying. They're amazing; I love them," I tell her.

"_Parents? He owns the hotel? What?" _she asks.

"We just got back from their house today: we stayed the night. I went shopping with his mom today and tomorrow he's taking me to Santorini. I love it over here. I swear I could just pack up and move tomorrow."

"_I'm glad, baby, you deserve some happiness. So how's Edward doing? Okay?"_

And here it is; this is why I love her, because even if I tell her he's not okay she won't throw judgment his way. "Well, we had a few minor issues, but we talked it out, and things are better now. I think we'll be okay as long as we can keep the lines of communication open."

"_Good, I'm glad. Not to cut you short, but Mom just came in with the boys from the beach. I hope you continue to have fun, and let me know when you get home, okay? Love you!"_

"Love you, too. Tell the boys I said the same to them. Bye."

"_Bye."_

I press the end button on my phone and make my way into the room. Edward's still in the shower, so I make a split minute decision to join him.

Opening the door to the bathroom, the steam billows out from how hot he's got the water. Then I hear him; he's whispering my name and then a low 'fuck' falls from his lips. Opening the shower door, he looks surprised to see me and embarrassed that I caught him.

"Ummm, hey, baby," he says sheepishly, his hand still on his cock.

"Hey yourself; couldn't wait for me, huh?" I tease.

"Just give me a couple of minutes; he can't seem to stay down when you're around anyway," he replies leaning in for a kiss.

"Nowhere else I'd rather be, Cullen," I whisper as I kiss him back.

**~IoI~**

Thanks again to my Betas, and my pre-readers.

As always thank you for reading.

xox


	30. Chapter 30

SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...

The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is merely coincidental.

~~IoI~~

Santorini was gorgeous; I loved it. In true Esme fashion, she begged us not to leave Greece. She cried when we had to board our plane to come back to the States. I love Carlisle and Esme, and it means the world to me that they accept me.

Coming back from vacation to the real world is not what I want at all. Edward and I had so much fun over the last month. It was relaxing, as well as exhilarating.

Us coming back right around the Fourth of July is good. This way we can go to the BBQ that Lauren's parents are hosting. She and Jess are leaving in two weeks, and I want to spend as much time with them as possible.

It helps that Lauren's parents love Royce. At first they were shocked she was with someone so much older and they questioned his choice of profession, but he won them over and they realized how happy he made their daughter. It's a shame Charlie couldn't be that way.

But I digress.

"Bella, are you almost ready?" Edward impatiently calls from the living room.

"Umm, yes," I reply as I look at myself in the mirror one last time. I decide to wear a short denim skirt with a red t-shirt; underneath I've got on my new red bikini I got in Greece. Edward never saw it since I bought it on one of many shopping sprees with Esme.

He may literally die when he sees it; he told me he loves me in red. So I do what I can to make him happy.

"Ready," I announce as I walk into the living room to a not so patiently waiting Edward.

"Well, it's abou- damn baby," he sputters, barely able to get the words out of his mouth. "You look fabulous. Greece agreed with you, and so does that outfit. I'll be beating guys off left and right."

"Whatever," I scoff. "You're just saying that because you're my boyfriend and it's your duty. Now c'mon before we're late and everyone is blaming me."

"Fine and no, I'm not only saying that because it's 'boyfriend duty'" he says with finger quotes and all. He cracks me up when he's trying to be funny.

"Hey, I know we haven't talked about this much, and I'm sorry I'm asking you to omit truths and whatnot to your friends, but please make no mention of mine or my parents' wealth to anyone. I know you won't on purpose, but I don't want anyone to know. Is that cool?" he asks as we make our way to the car.

"Of course, Edward, I get it. I know how you feel about that, and I know you want people to accept you for you. I get it I would be the same way if all of my friends didn't already know. Once I meet new people at school, I won't want that to be known either."

"Cool, I knew you would understand." He pauses for a second. "Hey, I need to run by the shop before we head to Lauren's. I told Jasper I'd look at the appointment book for a phone number."

"No problem. Technically we've got plenty of time anyway before we need to be at Lauren's," I say as we pull out of his complex and head in the direction of Slave. I think about what a whirlwind the last couple of days have been.

We've been back state side a whole twenty-four hours, and in that time span all we've done is sleep. Other than to tell everyone we were home and safe, neither of us have really talked to anyone.

Edward checked in with Dr. Payne everyday while we were in Greece after that one blow-up. We've decided to see her together once a week for couples counseling and I'm going to see her individually about the issues with my Dad.

I can't say that I'll forgive my father or ever speak to him again, but I'd like to move in that direction. I realize life is too short to hold grudges, especially when you have one living parent. Not saying all will be fixed and back to normal, but I'm trying to be open-minded about the whole thing.

"Baby girl, where's your mind?" Edward says, as he pulls me from my thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Baby, we're here and you haven't even made a move to get out of the car. You're in deep thought over there about something," he replies.

"Yeah, just thinking about Dr. Payne, my Dad, you and me. You know, normal things," I quip, slightly embarrassed that I'm caught up in my thoughts and not paying attention.

"It'll be all right. We'll get everything squared away, and Bella, if you want to work things out with your Dad, don't let me stand in the way."

"I won't, but at the same time, Edward, he needs to respect my decisions. And if I remember correctly, he's the one that let me walk away. If he can't respect you and realize that I'm an adult, and can make my own choices, then he's got no place in my life." I tell him.

"I get it, baby, I get it. Now, let's go, I need to get this number for Jazz."

As we make our way out of the car, I see her. I see her before Edward does and I freeze. There's no fucking way she actually has the balls to show up here.

"B, what's wrong?" he questions looking at me, before turning in the direction in which I'm looking. As soon as he sees what I see, he tenses. "Fuck," he whispers under his breath. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," he mutters.

"Bella," he says calmly, though his tone is warning me not to start shit with her and of course I ignore him.

"Don't fucking Bella me; she needs to go, Edward. She's not even supposed to be within a hundred fucking feet of you. What the fuck?" I glare at Emily, who's now making her way over to where we're standing.

"Edward," she says quietly and I feel him tense even more as I grab his arm to keep him from moving forward. "Edward, can we talk?"

"Bitch, he's got nothing to say to you. Doesn't that restraining order tell you that?" I snap.

She doesn't even acknowledge that I've said anything. She keeps looking at Edward like I'm not even there.

"Edward, please, I only need five minutes, please just five minutes. I miss you. I've come by almost every day for the last four months and you're never here," she discloses.

"Emily, move the fuck on, he doesn't want you here," I inform her as she finally looks over at me.

"You know what, bitch, he was mine first. He loves the way I suck his cock and how I fuck him. He loves it when I let him snort the candy off my skin, don't you, babe?" she asks as she looks back at Edward. He is so tense; he's rigid to the point that I'm scared. I've seen Edward angry, hell I've pushed every button he's got to piss him off, but I've never seen him like this before.

Slowly he turns toward her, "Bitch, I never belonged to you. You can't suck cock worth a fucking shit. You're nothing but a fucking two-bit whore that I fucked when I didn't have anything else better to do. Now I suggest you get the fuck outta here and don't ever fucking come back. If you do, I'll call the cops. And don't bother my girlfriend either. If I hear of you even being on the same side of the street as her, I won't hesitate to call them. You've been warned; I want nothing to do with you," he hisses at her.

"That's not how you feel, Edward. Don't lie," Emily cries. "That's not what you said about _her_ when you would fuck me after she came along and couldn't hold your attention."

I snap. I fucking reach back and smack the bitch. I don't know who's more stunned; me, her or Edward. Emily has tears in her eyes from the pain I've just inflicted. I'm furious, and beyond pissed at this moment. I've never been one for physical violence, but the lies she's spewing just to get me worked up so I'll be angry at Edward are ridiculous.

"Yes, officer, Slave to the Needle. I've got a restraining order on Emily Santos. She's here harassing my girlfriend and me. Yes, sir, thank you," Edward says to someone. I'm so angry I didn't even realize he had called the police.

"Baby, it's okay," he whispers to me, pulling me close and away from Emily. He starts moving us backwards slowly; the tension rolling off of both us in waves. As he gets us near the door of Slave, I hear the sirens of the police cruisers as they race down the main road to get to us. Emily gets this terrified look on her face and this makes me smile.

I hate her; I hate everything she is. I hate the fact that she introduced Edward to that nasty, filthy world. I'm not naive enough to think that Edward could have said no. He is a big boy and he knew better. Ultimately, it was his decision, but the fact that she won't leave him alone and he's told her he wants nothing to do with her pisses me off.

As the police cars pull into the parking lot, the officers waste no time getting out of their cars and making their way toward us.

"Mr. Cullen?" the officer says, "I'm Officer McCarty, is this Miss Santos?" he asks looking in the direction of Emily. Edward nods in reply. At that moment, Office McCarty takes his handcuffs out, and proceeds to put them on Emily's wrists, while reading her rights and patting her down.

"Mr. Cullen, do you plan to press charges?" he asks.

"Yes, I do. She's not supposed to be here or anywhere near here, or me. I'm also sure if you check, she's probably got illegal substances on her as well," Edward says as he maintains his composure.

"She hit me," Emily cries to the officer, while looking at me.

"Well, ma'am, I didn't see anything, so I can't say that she did. But, what I do know is Mr. Cullen has a restraining order against you, and you are breaking the law. Into the car you go; watch your head." he says to Emily, as he opens the squad car door

I'm still in shock from the whole situation. "Edward," I whisper, turning around so I can wrap my arms around him.

"Baby, it's okay, it's going to be okay," he whispers to me, holding me tight. "I love you, Bella. Please tell me you don't believe anything she said, please, Baby?" he cries.

I pull myself far enough back to look into his eyes and shake my head, "No, Edward, I don't believe her. I trust you; I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me like that," I confirm.

"Oh thank Christ. I thought I'd lost you when she started babbling that shit. Though I must say, remind me to never piss you off, that was one hell of a bitch slap," he admits.

I smile, glad this is over, but then realize we're late to Lauren's party.

"Fuck, Edward, we're late, and if I can be honest, I love them, but after all of this drama, I don't think I can face people right now. Are you good if we just go home, order Chinese and watch a movie?" I ask.

"I was going to suggest that myself. Do you want to call Lauren, or do you want me to call Royce?" he questions, knowing the answer.

"I'll call her. They don't need specifics right now. She'll understand and we can do something later without so many people around."

As I'm taking my phone out of my pocket, Edward unlocks the door to Slave. I guess he figures we need a few minutes to calm down before we get back in the car. It sucks he doesn't get to see my new bikini today, but with all of this shit, I don't think his temper could take it if someone looked at me.

Dialing Lauren, she must realize something's up if I'm calling and we're not there yet.

"_Bella? Sweetie, where are you guys?"_

"Listen, Edward and I aren't going to be able to make it. We had a bit of drama when we came to the shop to get the number for Jasper. I'll explain later if that's cool. But can you just tell everyone we have jetlag?"

"_Of course, can I tell Jess what's going on? Nevermind, Royce just nodded so I'm assuming Cullen sent him a text."_

I look over at Edward and sure enough, he's got his phone, out texting away.

"Yeah, I'm thinking he did. Tomorrow, is that good? Today's just not good. I'm sorry. I love and miss you guys, I just can't right now," I tell her.

"_Of course, I'll chat with you later."_

As I hang up I look at Edward, "You know, we've got the best of friends. If we move to Greece they've got to come with us, okay?" I say.

He laughs. "C'mon on, Baby Girl, let's get home and relax," he says as he puts his arms around me to lead me out the door.

**~IoI~**

Thanks again to my Betas, and my pre-readers.

You guys amaze me. I'm humbled by the amount of attention my story has received. Thank you for all of your love and support.

Xoxo


	31. Chapter 31

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is merely coincidental.**

~~IoI~~

"Time with the girls was what I needed and boy did we spend time together. These last three weeks have been nothing short of amazing; we shopped, spent time at the pool, had dinner, laughed and cried. The guys shook their heads at our emotions; they just don't understand what it's like to be friends from birth and then have to separate."

I pause for a moment, looking at the doctor. I take a deep breath and sigh.

"They left yesterday, and I'm devastated. Even though I knew it was coming, I wasn't expecting it to hurt as bad as it does. They're both going to the main campus in Eugene; they will have each other to lean on, and I'm staying here. Originally, I wanted to go with them and was pissed because Charlie said no, but now I'm glad he said no."

"Bella, are you truly happy with your choices or do you feel that Charlie had a major play in them and they really weren't your choices?" Dr. Payne asks after I explain what I've been up to the last couple of weeks.

I look over to Edward before looking down at our adjoining hands and nod. "I'm happy. I don't feel like staying here held me back in anyway. I know originally it was Charlie's idea for me to stay close to home for a year, but I'm not living at home. I'm living my own life, in my own apartment with Jake, so it doesn't matter," I stated.

"Edward, how do you feel about Bella living with Jake? Is that causing any anxiety within you? Or stress?" she asks.

Edward shakes his head before answering, "No, I trust Bella and I trust Jake. Plus, I know that Jake is like a big brother to her. He also has a pretty serious girlfriend who would kick his ass if he did anything stupid in any way. I know Bella is safe there, and that's all that matters."

"Good. I feel as though with both of you talking about the stress triggers you're about to endure we can get ahead of the game. I know both of you have given me permission to discuss details about our one on one sessions, but before we do, I want to make sure; is it still okay?" she questions, looking to both of us for consent before moving forward.

We both nod, so she continues.

"Edward, not to beat a dead horse, but Bella brought up with me the fear she had of you drinking while you were in Greece and then the whole Emily situation when you returned. She's worried this might trigger a turnabout of the progress you've made. Bella, why don't you explain to Edward what you told me," she says.

"Edward, I felt as though the stress level was high when we were in Greece, so you used alcohol to relax, so you could get through it. Your parents accepted you, and everything you told them with no judgment so the need to drink wasn't even there. You did it prematurely to cope. Then you and I had a huge fight about me over sharing with your Mom, which we were able to work through. Even though we worked through it, the whole time you were hidden away not talking to me, I worried.

"Then, as soon as we hit the states, we had to deal with Emily, and I'm scared that with all these stressors, you're going to crack," I explain to him. My eyes never leaving his during my speech, even though I can feel the tears roll down my cheeks.

"Baby, I promise, never, never again. As I've explained to Dr. Payne and I'll explain to you, I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep you and Emma in my life. I want to be clean for me; but I want to stay clean for me, you and Emma. I'm working toward our future and I want you to be able to trust me in stressful situations, without having to worry. I know it's a day to day thing, but I've had no major setbacks." He pauses for a moment to squeeze my hand. "And you're right, that whole Emily situation upset me, but in my opinion, I handled it well."

"Yeah, you did between the gym and Dr. Payne," I surmise.

"I promise, Bella, I'm good. Emily disregarded the restraining order, we pressed charges, and now she's gone, never to be back in our lives again. Bella, I love _you_. I want to spend my life with _you_. Do you honestly think I'd do anything to fuck that up ever again?" Edward says looking sheepish.

"Edward, I love you, too and I feel the same way. I just worry. I don't ever want to see _that Edward_ again, and if I never see Emily again, it'll still be too soon."

"I'm glad to see you both are communicating well with one another, let's keep it up. Holding back it can hurt both of your individual progress. Now, Bella, have you decided anything about Charlie?" she questions.

I blow out a slow breath. I knew this was coming; this is the hardest question yet. "Charlie? Well, I've decided to call him and see if he'd like to meet for coffee somewhere public. That way it'll force both of us to keep our tempers in check. Edward and I've discussed this at great lengths; I'd like to have some sort of relationship with Charlie, if at all possible.

"He's my only living biological parent. Don't get me wrong, I'm not condoning what he did, nor am I forgiving him in any shape, form or fashion. He can apologize until he's blue, but I think the trust I once had for him is gone. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to trust him or love him like I did. He's my father, so I'll always love him to some extent, and I do feel like we should have a civil conversation together."

"Good, and Edward, how do you feel about Bella doing this? Calling Charlie?"

"I'm going to support Bella in her decision, as she's supported me, loved me and stood by me through all of my shit. This is the least I can do. I've told her that regardless of what happens, he needs to respect her simply for being the amazing woman she is, and if he doesn't, he isn't welcome anywhere I'll be," he explains.

"Bella, are you okay with what Edward has said? I ask, because if you pursue a relationship with Charlie, and he continues to have issues with Edward, what're you going to do? You both are quite serious with one another, so you'll have weddings, births, birthday parties, and school activities to contend with," she questions us both.

Looking at Edward I smile, "Dr. Payne, I've told Edward if my father cannot accept him, then Charlie has no place in my life; period. I belong to Edward in every sense of the word, as he does to me. I'm almost nineteen, and yes I'm still young, but I've had a lifetime of hurt and regret; more than most people my age. My father should understand that more than anyone."

"Excellent," she looks over to the clock, "well, our time is up for today. Bella, I'll see you Thursday and Edward, Friday, correct?"

"Yes," we both reply in unison.

**IoI**

"So, you're gonna call Charlie?" Edwards asks slowly.

I nod; I'm not quite ready to talk about this choice with anyone outside of therapy just yet. Therapy is my safe zone, where I can say things and feel no judgment. I know Edward won't judge me, but this is easier to keep it in my head for now.

"Okay, well, uh, I'm going to head to the shop for a while since Jazz and Royce will be gone for a couple of days. Bella?" I look up at him, to see the concern in his eyes. "I love you regardless of what happens with Charlie, okay?"

"I know, I just don't want to disappoint anyone, that's all," I whisper.

"Hey," he says, as he wraps his arms around me. "No one will be disappointed in you; ever. This is your life, not mine, not Sue's and not Dr. Payne's. Whatever you choose to do, we'll stand beside you. I may not always like all of your decisions, but I'll stand by you and support you as you've done with me, okay?"

"Thanks, Edward, I needed that. Now go so I can call him. I'm scared and I don't want to filter what I'm going to say. I know I will if you're still here," I explain.

"K, call me if you need anything," he replies.

As soon as Edward closes the door, I pick up my phone and scroll to Charlie's name. I haven't spoken to him since graduation. I click his name and listen to the phone ring. Part of me hopes that it'll go to voicemail and I won't have to talk to him today. Just as I think that's going to happen, I hear him.

"_Bella? Bella is that you?"_

He sounds awful; not at all like the dad I remember.

"Dad, it's me, I'm here. I need to talk to you, but I'd like for it to be face to face, not over the phone," I blurt out in a ramble, not sure of how this is going to go or how he's going to handle it.

"Bella, is something wrong? Did that boy hurt you?" he questions menacingly.

"Charlie!" I exclaim. "This has nothing to do with Edward and everything to do with our relationship. Me and you, Dad, me and you. My therapist thinks it would do me some good to talk with you. I want to try to have a relationship with you, but I'm still very much with Edward and that's not changing. So if that's going to affect your decision to meet with me, let me know now," I explain.

I hear him sigh and I figure he's about to tell me to forget it. Then he shocks me even more by his answer.

"I'd love to, Bells, I've missed you," he whispers.

"Thanks, this means a lot to me. I can't promise anything will change, but I want the chance to talk with you and see where it goes from there," I warn him. I'm scared that we'll both go into this with different expectations, and the last time I saw him it wasn't pleasant.

"I can handle that. When do you want to meet? I've got some time this afternoon if you're open. How about that Starbucks off of Pike Avenue, maybe sometime around two?" he suggests.

Looking at the clock I see it's only eleven, so that leaves me plenty of time to run errands and talk to Edward.

"That's perfect, Dad, see you then," I reply as I hang up the phone, breathing out a sigh of relief. As soon as I grasp what I just agreed to, I immediately call Edward.

**IoI**

Pulling into Starbucks, I look around to see if Charlie's here yet. Sure enough, there's his car. As I get out of my car and head inside, I wonder again if this is going to be a mistake, regardless, I'm here now.

I see Charlie sitting over to the left at a little table as I make my way to the counter to order. I order an Iced Chai tea, since it's the middle of the summer and coffee this late in the day isn't appealing to me.

Walking over to Charlie, I realize he looks older; ragged, like the life has been sucked out of him. I don't feel sorry for him whatsoever; he brought this upon himself, but as his daughter who's already lost one parent, it makes me sad.

"Bella," he says as he stands up, "you look amazing. Summer treating you well so far?" he asks quietly, almost shyly, like he doesn't know where his boundaries lie.

"Yes, very well. Edward took me to Greece to celebrate my graduation," I reply.

"Yeah, your brothers mentioned you went on a _very cool _vacation and now they want to do that as well," he laughs.

"Yes, I was quite surprised to hear that his parents live there, but it was nice to be able to meet them while we were over there."

"His parents live there? Wow, I didn't realize," he mutters, almost to himself.

"Yes, the Masen's? You know them, right? We didn't really talk about you, it's just that Sue had mentioned you knowing them in passing," I say as I watch the color drain from my father's face.

He coughs, choking on his coffee. "Ed-Edward Cullen is Edward Masen? I had, I had no idea." He was flabbergasted. "That, wow, that changes things," he mumbles quietly.

"Had you known before, would it have made a difference in your opinion of him?" I question, but before he can answer, I hold my hand up to stop him. I had already heard enough. "You know what, don't answer that. I love Edward regardless of his family and where he came from, just as he does me. I don't want anything you say to tarnish the way I feel, or ruin the relationship I'm trying to rebuild for us."

He sits there speechless; a blank expression on his face. I think he just realized how much he fucked up. Judging a book by its cover is never a good idea.

"You see, all this time you were trying to force me to date the_ perfect_ guy, someone that had status in the community, and I've had him all along. Edward is a Masen, and so you know, I would love him regardless. Even if he was the guy at Burger King's son, I would still love him. In fact, I loved him long before I ever knew who his family was; when he very well could have been a nobody in your world," I explain.

"Bella," he sighs, "I've-"

"No, Charlie, you don't get to say anything about Edward. He is off limits for you. We can discuss anything else, but not Edward."

"Okay, I can do that if it means that I can spend time with you and make things right, but I do want to say that I regret the judgment I passed on Edward. That was wrong of me."

I give Charlie a look that I hope expresses my distaste for the way the conversation is going.

Without missing a beat, he continues, "I miss you, Bella; I miss my family. You mentioned that your therapist said you should talk to me," he comments.

I nod. "Yes, Dr. Payne felt it would be good for me to have some sort of relationship with you, or to at least try at a relationship. She felt it would help me out with some of the problems that have spawned since what happened between us. After a lot of thought, I'm willing to meet you halfway, Charlie, but you need to understand that I'm an adult and you need to treat me as such. You need to respect my decisions, too."

"I know, I realize that now, believe me I realize that. I'm sorry, Bella, I'm so, so sorry. What I wouldn't do to go back and change what I've done. I see now how badly I've messed up. I miss my wife and children."

"I've got nothing to do with that relationship, Charlie. I only talk to Sue and the boys about once a week. Sue doesn't discuss what is going on between you two with me. That one is on you; you lost her trust too, and you've got to earn it back on your own."

I pause and think about how I want to continue with this.

"Charlie, I eventually want a relationship with you, definitely not yet, but in time; after all you are my only living parent. But you've got to start respecting my opinion and my decisions," I explain.

I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and I know my time is up. I'd asked Edward to text me when he was leaving the shop, which would be my cue I had been with Charlie for an hour.

"Da-Charlie, I've got to go, I told Edward I'd met him this afternoon to run some errands."

"Can I see you again? Can we get together? Maybe I can get to know Edward." He suddenly seems far too eager when it comes to Edward and making nice on that front. I know it has to be because he now knows what this relationship could ultimately be for his social status.

"I'd like to take is slow, talk to you again and maybe even eventually meet up once in awhile. I don't know about Edward. That is something we will have to decide another time. But, Charlie do know that I love you because you're my Dad, but I still don't like you. I don't know if I'll ever like you again; you've hurt me in the worst way possible. You tried to dictate my life and who would be in it. You've got to trust that you raised me well; to be the responsible adult that I've become and know that you did a great job."

I stand up getting ready to leave, but Charlie stops me. "Bella, I'm sorry for all of the hurt I put you through. I love you and I only ever wanted the best for you. I should have realized I raised a strong-willed, like-minded daughter. You are your own person, and I should have never tried to change that. I'm proud of you."

"You're right, but you know that saying, 'too little too late'? Those are my feelings at the moment. I'll try, but I can't make any guarantees about the future. Bye, Charlie," I turn to walk out the door. It takes everything I have not to turn around and run back to him. Even though I'm mad and hating him, I still miss him.

**IoI**

Sitting in the car I call Edward before I drive away. "Hey, it's me."

"_Well?"_

"I miss him, Edward. I miss my Dad, but that man I just met with, that wasn't my Dad. That was a man who realized he just screwed up royally. Who realized he probably lost out on the one thing that may mean more to him than anything else."

"_What's that, baby?" _Edward asks me as I hear him start up his car.

"You, sweetheart, and your parent's status."

"What do you mean?" he questions?

"I realized today that Charlie is all about the image. That's all he cares about. Knowing you're a Masen can give him the tout he wants and needs. This is fucking ridiculous. You should have seen his face when he realized who your parents' are. He just about shit himself," I say enraged over the realization that my father is in fact a major asshole.

**~IoI~**

I apologize for the delay, this chapter was a bitch for me to write, but I felt it was important to get it right. SBP has been awesome in helping guide me through it after my amazing pre-readers read it.

I took my own experience with my therapist dealing in dealing with Charlie. It was mentioned to me that Charlie and Bella should have seen the therapist together. I was always encouraged to tell my father how I felt outside of therapy, so this is how I wrote it.

Thanks for all of the amazing reviews you guys give me, they make me smile. I'm sure most of you Charlie haters will hate him even more now. Charlie has tunnel vision, and only seeing what he wants to see. Remember he is her father; she loves him regardless, even though she doesn't like him.

xoxo


	32. Chapter 32

**SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...**

**The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is merely coincidental.**

**~~IoI~~**

"I'm worried about Edward," I admit to Jess and Lauren over dinner.

"Why? What's wrong? I thought everything was going great?" Lauren questions.

I hesitate in answering; should I be honest with them and tell them what I think is going on? Yes, they're my best friends and if anyone will understand, they will.

"He's been extra moody lately, and I think he's hiding something from me," I explain, hoping that either of them will be able to shed some light on the situation.

The last few months passed quickly and drama free with me immersing myself in school, therapy and work. I haven't spoken to Charlie since that day at Starbuck's. I don't know if or when I ever will again. Other than Edward, I haven't told anyone about my conversation with Charlie, not even Dr. Payne.

I'm embarrassed that my father feels the way he does and that he said the things he did. I know from talking to Sue that they're in counseling now and she's happy. I don't want to ruin her happiness by sharing it with her either; I don't want that on my conscience.

My therapy is now done, and unless Edward needs me, he goes by himself every other week.

"Do you think he's relapsed?" Jess questions. "I mean you know him better than we do, but when I saw him a few weeks ago at the shop he looked great."

"Maybe, I don't know. I know he's been under a lot of stress since Royce and Jasper left to open the new shop. He hired some guy, Jared, to help him out. He's just been all over the place otherwise. Esme and Carlisle are coming for the holidays, and they haven't visited since Emma was born," I explain. "I'm just worried and I want to ask him about it, yet I don't want him to get all defensive. It's just a precarious situation."

"Well, B, you know we're here for you regardless of the situation, and we won't judge. Maybe it's got something to do with the Emily situation. Speaking of which, you still haven't told us the latest," Lauren states.

"Oh yes, Emily," I take a deep breath before I explain everything that's happened over the course of the last few months. "She's in jail, and from the sounds of it, she's going to be there for awhile. Apparently she was high when she approached Edward and me at the shop. The cops found coke on her, got a search warrant for her apartment, where they found a shitload more of it."

I have Lauren and Jess's undivided attention, so I take a deep breath and continue, "From what the prosecuting lawyer has told us, she was charged with two felony counts that carry a ten year sentence each, plus she also had an unregistered firearm, which hasn't helped her case. Emily's looking at a jail sentence of fifteen to twenty, if not more. Needless to say, Edward and I were both ecstatic to hear the news. Hopefully, she'll be out of our lives for good now."

"Wow, no words, I'm speechless," Jess mutters.

"Yeah, what she said," Lauren gapes.

"This has been going on in the background over the last few months. We just found out all of this over the last week. I'm not sure if we'll have to go to court and testify yet," I add, as I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. Looking down, I see it's a text from Edward wondering when I'll be home, as he is getting ready for bed.

"Guys, that's him now. Let me get out of here, but I'll catch you guys before you leave to go back to school? Your Thanksgiving break is through next Tuesday, right?" I ask.

"Yes it is and of course we will see you again."

"I'll call you, B. Let me get with Jasper and we'll plan something."

"Cool," I reply. I text Edward letting him know that I'm on my way home, as I walk to the car.

I moved in with Edward about a month ago. Bree got a job offer in New York and asked Jake to go with her. He felt bad about leaving me, but Edward stepped in and said I could move in with him. It made sense, seeing as I spent most of my time there anyway.

Beforehand, I sat down with him and Tanya to make sure she would be cool with me moving in as well. I didn't want anything to interfere with his relationship with Emma, and to me, it was important that Tanya was okay with it. She laughed when I told her my reasoning and said I was better for Edward than she could have ever been. She's now engaged to be married and Edward says he's never seen her happier either.

All is good in my world, except this nagging feeling that Edward is keeping something from me. He's being all emo again, and stupid possessive, not the sexy possessive that I love.

**IoI**

Pulling into our complex, I notice the living room light is on in our apartment. I thought Edward said was getting ready for bed. What the hell is he doing up there? I get out of the car and as I make my way up the stairs, I can hear him practically shouting at somebody. Hurrying to the door, I let myself in, but as soon as I open the door, Edward goes quiet.

"What the he-" I start before I'm interrupted.

"Bella!"

I turn to see Esme and Carlisle sitting on the couch, both looking at Edward with a look of shock.

"Edward, did you not tell Bella we would be here tonight?" Esme questions sternly.

"Ma, c'mon don't start, you just got here. Are you going to give me shit the whole time you're here?" he asks smirking, knowing that'll drive her crazy.

"Edward," I chastise, even though him getting shit from Esme always makes me laugh.

"Edward Cullen, don't you start with me," she replies with a smile, "I just flew halfway around the world to see you, and this is how I'm treated."

"Sorry, Ma, I forgot to tell Bella you guys would be here tonight. She had dinner with the girls and she was so excited about seeing them. It's all my fault."

"No, you're right, I shouldn't be upset with you; Bella spending time with her friends is important." Esme says and then looks to me, "Bella, come to the kitchen with me; the boys have some things to discuss."

"Um, okay." I look to Edward for some sort of answer as to what's going on and what I walked in on, but his face shows no emotion.

Walking into the kitchen with Esme, I whisper, "What's going on? Why does Edward look pissed about something?"

She waves her hand, as she says, "He's angry with his father and me. We don't see eye to eye on something and he's mad. Don't worry, he'll get over it."

"Um, okay, if you say so; although, he's been pretty moody lately. I'm worried about him. I haven't seen him like this since I started dating him. It's got me worried, Esme."

Esme and I are close; we talk weekly and discuss just about everything. Edward knows this and doesn't get pissed like he did in the beginning. I don't feel comfortable sharing with Sue some of the things that go on between Edward and me, so I talk to Esme instead.

"Sweetie, I'm sure he's fine; just stressed over the fact his father and I are here and you being here as well. I'm sure he just wants things to go smoothly," she says, giving me that motherly smile.

"Now, let's get Carlisle and me something to eat; that plane food was dreadful," she says as she goes about making sandwiches like our conversation didn't happen.

Something's up, and I'm just going to have to ask Edward outright. If he gets pissed, so be it, if we've got to talk it through with Dr. Payne, then we will. I'll do whatever it takes; I won't lose him.

**IoI**

After getting Esme and Carlisle situated for the night, I'm standing in our bathroom brushing my teeth as Edward walks in, smiling.

"Well, that's not the look I was expecting after you seemed so pissed earlier," I say to him. He looks back at me, confusion all over his face.

"What do you mean?"

"When I got home tonight, I could hear you yelling all the way in the parking lot. I was worried, so I rushed in and then it was like I interrupted you guys talking and everyone shut down. Plus, you've been acting all weird lately; emo and moody. I'm worried about you, Edward. Have you relapsed or do you feel as though you might?" I ask, bracing myself for the fury I'm about to unleash, but instead, he laughs.

"No, baby, I'm fine, never been better. I've got some things going on, but it's nothing bad, I promise. No relapsing, no cravings, nothing, babe, I promise. God, I love you and I don't know what I would do if you weren't here," he says, as he leans down and kisses my forehead.

Rinsing my mouth, I turn around and reply, "I love you, too and I feel the exact same way. I'm sorry, it's not that I don't trust you or anything, it's just you've be acting weird, so I had to ask."

"No worries, baby, no worries. Now let's go to bed, we've got a big weekend ahead of us and I'm sure Ma is going to want to go shopping," he says, as he pulls me into bed and on top of him.

"Edward, we can't, your Mom and Dad are in the next room," I giggle, as he starts kissing me.

"Baby, just be quiet and it'll be okay," he taunts me, as he starts kissing me slowly and sensually.

He makes it more than okay.

**IoI**

"Edward?" I shout, while standing in the bathroom getting ready to go shopping with Esme. "Damn, where are you? Edward Cullen, can you hear me?"

"What, baby? Damn, I think the people in the next building over heard you," he chuckles, standing in the door jamb, watching me put mascara on.

"I'm going shopping with your Mom and then I'm meeting you for dinner, right? I just want to make sure I wear something comfortable to shop in, yet appropriate for dinner," I note as I look down at the skinny jeans and green sweater I'm wearing.

"Baby, you look beautiful," he replies while taking in my outfit. Slowly his eyes trail down my body. "We're not going anywhere fancy. I thought we'd hit the bistro on the corner of Main and Pike, if that's cool. Since the weather's been unseasonable warm, I thought we could sit on the patio. They've got those heaters and then we won't freeze to death, is that cool?" he asks.

"Perfect," I say, making my way to our closet to get my shoes and then sitting down on the bed to put them on as Edward sits beside me.

"Babe," he says softly, "I just want you to know how much I love you."

"I love you, too, but Edward, you're scaring me," I choke out. "What's going on with you? Are you leaving me? Are you planning on going to live with your parents in Greece or something? What the fuck?" I ask, trying to calm my racing heart down, as I look to him for reassurance of my feelings.

"Baby Girl, nothing is going on, I'm not leaving you, nor am I moving halfway across the world unless you go with me, okay?" he says reassuringly. "Now, go shopping with Ma before she comes in here and drags you away."

"Okay," I reply with a confidence in my voice I don't feel. "See you later."

Walking into the living room, I subtly wipe the tears from my eyes. I don't want to ruin my day with Esme, and she already told me I'm worried for nothing. I'll keep my fears to myself, and go with the flow.

"All right, Esme, I'm all yours for the day," I lie, smiling brightly; hoping I can pull this off.

"Excellent, Carlisle and I are having dinner with Emma, so I promise I won't wear you out this time," she giggles. "Bye, Edward, see you later," she calls out as she winks at Carlisle.

I swear, if I didn't know any better, I'd think this whole family is high today; they're all acting really weird.

**IoI**

Walking into H5O Bistro to meet Edward, I'm feeling a little out of it. True to her word, Esme didn't drag me all over the place shopping today, but even still, I'm exhausted. Lack of sleep, worrying about Edward and then to top it off, Esme acting weird as well has me all tired out.

I see Edward already sitting at a table over in the corner. As I make my way over to him, I notice he looks worried about something. Internally, I'm freaking out. Even though he's told me nothing is wrong and he's not leaving me, I've still have an uneasy feeling.

"Hey," I say as I approach the table, "you haven't been waiting long, have you?"

"Na, I ordered a drink and an appetizer. I figured Ma would've had you out longer," he jokes as he looks at his watch. "Wow, only twenty minutes late, that's pretty good."

I laugh knowing he's giving me a hard time and I'm overreacting at the whole situation. I need to get out of my own head and trust Edward. I know he's being honest with me, because he knows I'd leave him for good if he wasn't.

"Babe?" he gives me a questioning look as to why I'm still standing beside the table.

"Sorry." I stumble, as I slide into the booth and pick my menu.

"What's going on with you? You've been all over the place the last couple days," he questions, his eyebrows raised almost daring me to lie.

"I-I" I gulp, "I'm worried, Edward, you've been acting weird and secretive. I'm scared. I'm so scared," I stammer.

"Bel-" he starts, but I hold up my hand to stop him.

"Edward, I love you more than anything in this world. I'll stand by you, I'll support you. I just need you to be honest with me, are you using again? You said no, but with Esme and Carlisle staying with us, I fear you think they may have overheard and that's why you said that. It's just me here, please be honest with me," I plead.

"I told you no, and I fucking meant what I said, damn it. I promised I'd never lie to you again and I fucking meant it," he growls at me. "Here comes our server, just order your damn food. I don't want to talk about this shit anymore with you."

"Ed-"

"Save it, Bella, I don't want to fucking hear it," he snaps at me, then turns to smile at the girl who sets down his Fancy Fries. "Thank you, I believe we're ready to order now," he turns to me still smiling, "Bella?"

"Um, I'll have the Pork Belly Tacos and a Coke, please."

"And for you, sir," she asks Edward.

"I'll have the burger with bacon and cheese, thanks," he says as he hands her our menus.

Turning back to look at me, he says, "Bella, we're going to have an amazing dinner together. Then we're going to run by the shop to check on Jared, and see if he needs some help. If not, we're going to go back to our place and spend some time with my parents. Thanksgiving is two days away, and while my parents are here, we're going to have a damn good time. So get your head out of the clouds and focus on what's going on around you. Things aren't always what they appear to be." He pauses for a moment. "I love you."

With that, he picks up a fry and starts eating. He asks me about my day shopping with his mom and when our food arrives, we both dig in like nothing is wrong.

**IoI**

As we are leaving H5O, I look over to Edward trying to lighten the mood. "It's a good thing Esme dropped me off, huh?"

"Why do say that?"

"Well, you're now dragging me to the shop with you? What if I didn't want to go? I am tired from shopping today, you know." I reply still smiling.

"I promise you'll want to see what's at the shop, I may have forgotten to mention I've got a small surprise for you," he says cryptically.

Riding down the road, I take in the sights I love. Portland at night; it's an amazing city. I sit back in my seat, my hand resting on Edward's thigh as we drive to Slave. As we pull into the parking lot, I notice there aren't any cars here and the lights are out.

"Edward? I thought you said Jared was working tonight? Why are all the lights out?" I question, wondering if he's about to be pissed off that his new employee is not on the job like he's supposed to be.

"Fuck. Where the fuck is he?" he grumbles as he pulls into a parking space. "Well fuck, c'mon, let's go in and see if he left a fucking note or something. I'm going to fire his ass, he could have at least fucking called."

"I'll just sit here and wait," I offer, not really wanting to get out of the car since he's pissy.

"No fucking way am I leaving you in the car at night, c'mon, this'll only take a few minutes."

"Fine."

Walking up to the door, I notice one of the lights on in the back of the shop. "Edward there's a light on inside."

"Yeah I see that," he acknowledges as he takes his key out to unlock the door. "Maybe the fucker just forgot to turn out the lights in his haste to get out of here."

The alarm beeps as we step inside. Edward punches in the code to make the beeping stop. As he turns on the front lamp at the receptionist desk, he turns to me and says, "Bella, go back there and turn off that light, okay? I'm going to see if he left a note."

"Sure." Making my way back to Edward's office, I hear music playing. Damn, when did Edward start listening to Peter Gabriel? Interesting, it must have been someone else and they just didn't turn it off. He's going to be pissed someone was in here and messing with his shit. And 'In your Eyes' by Peter Gabriel on top of that, I love this song; Edward not so much.

I slowly open the door and I gasp. There are rose petals scattered all over the floor, and his tattoo chair and twinkle lights are draped over every available surface; it's breathtaking.

"Edward! Edward!" I cry out.

"Right here, baby," he whispers, as I turn around and look to see Edward down on one knee.

"Bella, you're my love and my best friend. I cannot imagine a day going by without you in my life. You're my everything. I knew the very first time I looked into those beautiful, brown eyes you were it for me. Will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

"Uh…"

**~IoI~**

**I know I'm evil, what can I say? You didn't think it was going to come easy now did you? I'm writing the last chapter now and I've already started the epi. **

**I've got some outtakes planned so let me know if there is something you'd like to see. I'm going to do one from EPOV the first time he meets Bella, and I've got one from Charlie as well.**

**As always thank you for reading.**

**xoxo**


	33. Epilogue

SM owns all Twilight, just not my ideas...

The events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is merely coincidental.

Yes, I know I said one more chapter and then the epilogue, I lied. Bella was ready to move on with life, sorry. I promise I've got outtakes planned and some already partially written. They'll be posted under the IoI-Outtakes.

~~IoI~~

The last fifteen years with Edward have been amazing, not all perfect moments, but I wouldn't trade them for anything. They have made us who we are today.

Emma turns twenty-one next month; Edward and Tanya want to do something extra special for her, since she can't drink, seeing that she's almost five months pregnant. I'm ecstatic I get to be a grandmother of sorts.

Emma followed in my footsteps, and I couldn't be more proud of her. She followed her heart and I doubt she'll ever be disappointed. Emma was married at eighteen and her husband, Ben, had just turned twenty-five. Needless to say, Edward wasn't amused. First, that his daughter was so young getting married, and second, that she was marrying someone older.

I thought they were never going to speak to one another again; that was until the day Emma pointed out our age difference and how happy he was with me. It didn't go over well with Edward that I agreed with her.

So far, it's worked well. I love Ben; he's been a great addition to the family. He works for Edward and runs Slave now. Ben started working for him not long after he started dating Emma. He started out as an apprentice and worked his way up. He wanted to prove to Edward that he could do it. At first, Edward wasn't so happy with the situation, but now that he is semi-retired, it works so we can travel and run our chain of hotels.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Little voices interrupt me from my thoughts. I look to see Mackenzie running down the stairs with her brother, Keegan, close behind her. I swear it's almost as if Edward cloned himself, instead of helping me to create them. They look exactly like him, down to the reddish brown hair and green eyes. Since their birth five years ago, I've felt as though I live with two mini Edwards.

"What is it, sweet girl? Is your brother terrorizing you again?" I look over to Keegan whose shaking his head.

"No, Emmy just called and said she's coming for a visit. She's coming to see us and she said Uncle Mikey and Uncle Maddy are coming. Yippee!" she screeches excitedly.

The excitement these two have over seeing their sister and uncles makes me smile. I'm happy they get to have that relationship with them as well.

Sue and my Dad eventually worked everything out between them, but it took them years and a lot of therapy. I speak to Charlie on holidays and family get togethers, but we aren't close by any means. I think he finally realized the hurt I felt when I asked Carlisle to walk me down the aisle at our wedding and not him.

He crushed my soul that day in Starbucks and I never fully recovered. I love Edward, and I will always love him; he is my soul. When Ben and Emma decided to marry, Edward knew that Ben didn't have a dollar to his name, but that didn't matter. Edward knew that he made his little girl happy, and that was all that mattered. I wish Charlie would have been the same way.

Sue and I are still close, but we don't discuss Charlie. I know what it's like when you love someone; you would walk through fire and back for them. I know I suffered a lot to get where I am now, and I'd do it again in a second, no questions asked. I know Sue loves my dad; he is the father of her children, and I respect that. Even though he is my father, I choose not to have a close relationship with him. If it was reversed, I can't say that I wouldn't do the same thing.

"Well, I'm glad you get to see your sister and your uncles," I exclaim. "Whatever will you do with yourselves until they get here?" I ask them while laughing at their excitement. My twins are my everything, and I couldn't imagine my life without either of them.

"Swimming at Nana Esme's and shopping," Mackenzie tells me excitedly.

"Fishing and swimming and eating gyros," Keegan chimes in quickly.

"Good, I'm glad everything is already planned. Did you tell Nanny Megan your plans yet?" I inquire, knowing full well they have; she told me earlier while they were doing their studies.

"Yes, and she told us we could take a vacation from school time if you and Daddy okay'd it," Keegan replies.

"I'm sure Daddy and I'll be fine with that. We'll talk to him tonight at dinner, is that good?" I ask as they both nod. "Okay, scudaddle, I've got to finish up some work. See if Nanny will take you swimming? I'll be there shortly."

I swear this is the part of my life I love the most; living in Greece. Edward and I decided when the twins were born to split our time between Portland and Greece. We own homes in both places and have a full time staff that goes with us. We decided to home school the twins with a tutor, so we could ensure they would get the cultural studies as well.

Esme and Carlisle still live here, though they've downsized some in regards to the house. Edward and I bought theirs and they bought one two streets over. Edward and I didn't want to live in the touristy part of Greece trying to raise a family. Therefore, I commute into the city once or twice a week. It works for us; this way we get the family time we want, but I can still get out of the house and go the actual office as well.

"Babe! Where're you?" Edward calls out to me.

"I'm in the office trying to get some work done," I reply almost shouting as loud as he is. Damn, we've got to get a better way to communicate.

"My Bride," he says, as he saunters in and kisses my forehead. I still swoon every time the man says that to me.

"Edward," I whisper, "you know I've been your wife for fifteen years now. You don't have to call me that every time you see me, you know."

"Ah, but I do. Where're the munchkins?" he asks, looking around as he slowly walks to my office, closing the door and locking it.

"Outside with Megan, why?"

"Oh, then that means I can take some time and thoroughly fuck you then, huh?" He winks at me, knowing that when he talks like that it gets me all worked up. He stalks toward me, taking his clothes off as he goes. When he reaches me, he pulls me out of my chair and slowly starts taking my clothes off as well.

"Well, I won't complain," I whimper as he kisses my neck while tugging my pants down. Dropping kisses down my body as he lowers my pants, he stops to kiss his favorite spot on my body, his tattoo on me. As soon as we got back from our honeymoon, I asked Edward to tattoo me with his initials. He told me at the time it that was the best gift I could have given him, of course now it's the twins.

He loves those initials, they're his own design. He drew them just for him and me, no one else even realizes what they are. He added the twin's initials to the design once they were born.

"Bella, my beautiful Bella, have I told you today how much I love you?" he whispers quietly as he slowly runs his hands over my thighs.

I shake my head, my eyes never leaving his. No matter how long we've been together or what we've been through, he always makes me feel as if I'm the most beautiful woman on the planet.

"I love you, sweet girl," he growls as he slides into me slowly. "Always love you."

**IoI**

Looking out the window, watching my babies talk animatedly with their Nana Esme and Papi, I can't help but smile. Emma and the boys will be here today. We didn't tell Keegan and Mackenzie, because they would've bugged me to no end until they got here.

Emma wanted to get one more trip in before she couldn't travel anymore, and I knew once the baby came I'd be spending a while in the states. Michael and Ben had become quite close over the years, so it never fazed me when they all traveled together.

I imagine one day soon when Michael and Matthew both settle down; that wasn't a day I was looking forward to. I enjoy the carefree lifestyle they both have now and how they can come see me at a drop of a hat.

Hearing the front door open, I know they're here and I can barely contain myself. Trying to be quiet, so I don't draw attention to what's going on, I attempt to contain myself as I sprint to the door.

"Emma," I gush taking her in my arms and hugging her tight, "you look so beautiful. Your father is going to be so happy to see you, as are your niece and nephew. I didn't tell them you guys would be here today, so they are sure to go ballistic." I then turn to the man whose hold I ripped Emma from. "Ben, you look good, how's everything?" I ask my son-in-law.

"Good, real good. Work has been busy. People have been making appointments knowing Edward's coming into town in a few months. It's crazy, but I don't mind, it keeps me busy," he explains shyly, as he slowly rubs his hands on Emma's pregnant belly. He cracks me up; all pierced and tattooed, but still gets shy and quiet around Edward and me.

He had admired Edward's work for years. Ben has an older brother who would only let Edward tattoo him. To then be able to come work for him afterhe was with Emma, well it says a lot about the man Ben is. Edward respects him, even though it took awhile for him to get to that point, but Emma looks at Ben the way I've always looked at Edward. And I think he realizes that aspect of their relationship is just as important for them as it was us.

Emma will always be his little girl, even though she's having one of her own. Wiping the tears quickly before they fall and anyone notices, I see my brothers coming through the door.

"Bella," Michael bellows.

"Well, damn, if I didn't want the twins to know you're here, they're sure to know now, big mouth," I tease, as he gives me a bear hug.

As if on cue, I hear Mackenzie and Keegan shout, "They're here, they're here!" Both of them jump up and down, excited to see their sister and uncles. It makes my heart happy that they're as close as they are, and I hope they never lose this closeness.

"Yes, they're here," I laugh as Keegan and Mackenzie get all of their hugs and kisses in. "Okay, guys, let them get in the door and we can have some snacks in the kitchen. How's that?" I ask.

"Mommy, why didn't you tell us they were coming today?" Mackenzie questions.

"Well," I begin, "I didn't want you and Keegan asking me a thousand questions of when they were coming or what time they'd be here," I explain.

"Oh, okay," she replies, appeased by my answer.

"Okay," I breathe out, "let's go get a snack. I'm sure Uncle Maddy and Uncle Mikey are hungry, and Emma needs to feed the baby," I acknowledge, as we make our way into the kitchen. Esme and Carlisle walk inside from the back, as we make our way to the kitchen.

"Nana Esme!" Keegan shrieks, "Nana Esme, look Sissy's here. She came to see us, and she brought Benny, too. Uncle Maddy and Uncle Mikey also came with them," he explains as Esme goes to hug her granddaughter.

"Wait 'til Daddy sees her, Keegs; he's going to be happy. He always says he loves when all his kids are in one place. I so don't understand," Mackenzie giggles.

"What don't you understand about Daddy?" Edward asks coming around the corner surprising all of us.

"Daddy!" the twins scream as they hug him, acting like they haven't seen him in weeks instead of a couple hours.

"Hey guys," he laughs as he picks them up and hugs them, while winking at Emma. "Hey baby," he says to her, as he walks over and engulfs her in his arms. "I can't believe my baby is having a baby," he whispers softly so no one hears him getting choked up. I'm standing next to her, so I see the tears in his eyes.

"Mackenzie, why don't you tell Daddy again why you don't understand him. I'm going to get us some snacks and get everyone settled. Esme, can you help me?" I ask as I look over to my mother-in-law, who also caught Edward's tears. Edward looks at me, nods slightly and smiles at Mackenzie as she prattles on.

**IoI**

"Thank you for today," Edward says to me as we're lying in bed and he's gently running his fingers up and down my arm with the feather touches I love so much.

"You're welcome?" I question, not really sure what he's thanking me for.

"Baby girl, you do so much for me you don't even know it, do you? You're an amazing mom, and not just to the twins, but to Emma as well. You treat her as your own; you love her and dote on her as you do with the rugrats. You take care of me even when I'm shitty and a pain in the ass, which I know is probably more often than you let on.

"You take care of our business; you love my parents; correction,_ our _parents. I'm sure they'd take you over me any day of the week. I've no idea what I did to deserve you, but I swear I'd do it all over again."

"Oh, Edward, silly boy, you had me from the moment I walked into Slave. I knew once I looked into those eyes I'd never want anyone else. Emma is an amazing person, you and Tanya laid that foundation, and I simply came along and helped out where needed. I love you; I've always loved you. The life you've given me is more than anything I could have ever wanted or even dreamed of.

"The traveling, the twins and even you loving my brothers as they're your own, means the world to me. Esme and Carlisle are an added bonus. The way they took care of me when we got married; I'll never be able to repay them for that."

Thinking back to that day always brought tears to my eyes.

"_Carlisle, can I speak with you privately please?" I ask him hesitantly. I look over to Edward; he smiles and nods his head slightly. We've only been officially engaged for twelve hours; yes, I was counting the hours until I would be Mrs. Edward Cullen._

"_Of course, Bella, why don't we go into the kitchen?" Carlisle replies as he gets up from the couch and follows me into the kitchen._

_As I sit down in one of the chairs, I turn to him with tears in my eyes. Trying to wipe them subtly before he sees me and I chicken out with what I am going to say._

"_Carlisle, I know you haven't known me for very long, and I'm sure this engagement seems rushed to you and Esme, but I swear I love your son more than anything in this world. I can't imagine my life without him in it," I stammer. "I would be honored if you'd walk me down the aisle and give me to your son in marriage, please," I whisper, tears running down my face._

"_Bella, I'd be honored. Sweetie, Esme and I love you as the daughter we never had. We couldn't be happier that you and Edward are getting married. We're truly surprised you both have waited this long. Don't ever doubt our love for you," he says to me as he gives me a hug._

I hear slight laughter beside me, and I wipe my tears. "Edward, stop laughing at me," I whine as he continues to laugh.

"Baby, you always cry when you think about that day. You were so nervous and no amount of me trying to reassure you that they loved you back then and were happy for us seemed to confirm that for you. Well, until you asked him anyway."

"I know, but to ask him, that was hard. To me that was harder than not having Charlie walk me down the aisle," I acknowledge.

Edward growled at the mention of his name. We put on brave faces for the twins, but realistically, neither of us had much to do with him. I love Sue, and I didn't want to ever lose the relationship with her and my brothers. Unfortunately, my father was a part of that deal. Sue never forced him on me, and I didn't really talk to him either. Edward hadn't spoken to him since our wedding. Edward said he was my Dad, so he would always support my decisions and choices when it came to him. I wanted the twins to know him, and felt they could make their own decision as they got older.

I never forced them to spend time with him, but if they asked, I would let them go. He wasn't a bad grandparent, nor a bad parent to the boys either. During the years he and Sue were separated and went through therapy, I think he learned quite a bit.

He tried to reconcile with me, but the damage was done. I explained to him that I didn't hate him like I should, but I couldn't go back to how things used to be, ever. We're cordial to one another when we're stateside and would see him. He's never been to our house in Greece. I can't invite him here. I feel as though that would do irrevocable damage to my marriage and truthfully, Edward is more important to me.

"Baby, go to sleep, stop thinking. Don't let your mind go there tonight," Edward whispers, while pulling me tightly in his arms. "All my children are here, and I'm happy. I want my wife to be happy as well, okay?"

"Okay," I whisper in reply, knowing I'm happy and always will be happy, because I belong to Edward. I snuggle deeper into his arms and let sleep take me.

I'm almost there when I hear him faintly whisper, "Mine."

*****IoI*****

**When I started this story I had no idea where I wanted to go with it. Ashley asked for something and I ran with it. Words cannot even begin to express the thanks and gratitude for the reviews, love and even sometimes hate I received.**

**I want to say a special thanks to my pre-readers and Betas.**

**Edward's Eternal Girl, who I met through the Kyla Tok, had been a godsend to me. She's an amazing person and has become an amazing friend. I love her dearly and look forward to future endeavors with her. Her confidence, guidance and words always helped me when I needed them. And regardless of what was going on in her own real life she always made time for me. Thank you J, I love you!**

**Shenani Whatgans, girl where do I even start? I love you and your kinky mind, it came in handy when writing lemons and I was freaking out. The suggestions you would give when my words would be jumbled and I couldn't get out what I wanted to say. **

**Sunsetwing, you my friend are awesome. Always finding time to help out even though no internet at home and a full plate. Thank you for everything as always, your friendship means the world to me. I love you and I can't wait to come visit!**

**C MyBabyBlues, my bestie, my partner in crime. What would I do without you? There are no words for what you mean to me or the support you give me always. God knew what he was doing when he brought you to me, and I will thank him for that everyday for the rest of my life. I cannot imagine my life with you.**

**Shadowed By Passion, my other bestie who needs to move closer to me. I don't know where I'd be without you. You're my sounding board, my shoulder and my everything. We've been through alot together and even though I don't always agree with you it's good to compromise. I love that you can read my mind, and almost always know what I want to say or how I want to say it. **

**We have good times and bad times, but you've never left me and always loved me. I would walk through fire for you and I swear I have at times. I know I don't tell you as often as I should but I love you and you mean so much to me. *wipes tear* you've helped me grow as a person and a writer, you support me even when you may not always agree with me. Words cannot express the gratitude and love I have for you.**

**Each of these woman, my friends, brought something different to the table in terms of strengths. They cheered me on and supported me through the difficult times. Putting your words out there is hard, you take the good with the bad. And some people are not always nice, sometimes characters write themselves and you've got no control.**

**Again thank to each and everyone of you for taking the time to read my story, my words.**


	34. Chapter 34 - outtakes's

I've donated Edward's POV the first time he meets Bella for the Fandom for Oklahoma if you want to donate….

The outtake will be under Illusion of Innocence Outtakes after September 1. I've also posted a small teaser on the website below; you know the drill remove the spaces.

oklahoma . fandomcause . info /

Hope you check out all of the great stories, authors and banners that have been donated.


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